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IOWA BIOGRAPHICAL SERIES 

EDITED BY BENJAMIN F. SHAMBAUCxH 



HENRY DODGE 




I 



HKNKY DOIXiE 



IOWA BIOGRAPHICAL SERIES 

EDITED BY BENJAMIN F. SHAMBAUGH 



HENRY DODGE 



BY 



I. GUIS PELZER 



THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF IOWA 
IOWA CITY IOWA 1911 



E3 4-0 

,327: 






N 



EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION 

As Governor of the original Territory of 
Wisconsin, Henry Dodge may with propri- 
ety be included in the list of Iowa executives 
since the original Territory of Wisconsin 
embraced the country that was subsequently 
erected into the Territory of Iowa. That 
the Iowa country was not merely an outly- 
ing district of the original Territory of Wis- 
consin is evidenced by the fact that the 
greater portion of the population was west 
of the Mississippi and that after the first 
session of the Legislative Assembly (which 
was held at Belmont) Burlington was the 
seat of government. 

Henry Dodge was a typical frontier lead- 
er, and as such his biography becomes a 
valuable contribution to the history of the 
West. 

Benj. F. Shambaugh 

Office of the Superintendent and Editor 
The State Historical Society of Iowa 
Iowa City 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

Interwoven with the historj^ of the West, 
the public career of Henry Dodge spans 
nearly fifty years of military and official 
life. Rising to the rank of Colonel and from 
Deputy Sheriff to United States Senator, 
Henry Dodge lived under the successive 
jurisdictions of Spain, France, and the 
United States; while his military and of- 
ficial careers extended over nine of the pres- 
ent States of the Mississippi Valley. 

This span of years witnesses vast strides 
in the development of the West and in the 
fostering of the democratic spirit. Fifteen 
States are added to the Union, population 
quintuples, and the area of the public do- 
main is nearly doubled. Bottomed upon the 
principles of Jacksonian Democracy, Henry 
Dodge saw the rising tides of popular gov- 
ernment in the forepart of the last century. 
He bore a part in the enactment of the Com- 
promises of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska 
Bill; and he was the colleague of such men 
as Benton, Calhoun, Cass, Clay, Douglas, 



xii AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

and Webster. His legislative record reflects 
much of the history of the Middle West in 
the two houses of Congress. 

"The names of the Indian fighters, the 
treaty-makers, the wilderness wanderers, 
who took the lead in winning and exploring 
the West, are memorable."* This truly 
characterizes the record of Colonel Dodge's 
military career, which winds through two 
States of the Old Northwest and through six 
of the States of the Louisiana Purchase. 
These activities conduced to a fruition of 
peace, settlement, and the evolution of Ter- 
ritories into Commonwealths. 

Henry Dodge saw the domain over which 
he was appointed Governor in 1836 grow to 
the magnitude of an empire in population, 
wealth, and moral resources. This region, 
embracing within its limits the present 
States of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota 
and portions of the Dakotas, furnished near- 
ly 200,000 soldiers to help suppress the War 
between the States. 

As a Territorial executive and adminis- 
trator the name of Governor Dodge will be 
foi'ever linked with the political evolution 

*Eoosevelt'3 The Winning of the West (Putnam Edition) 
Vol. IV, p. V. 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE xiii 

of the Conimonwealths of Iowa and AVis- 
consin to which he bears the same relation 
which such Governors as St. Clair, Har- 
rison, and Cass bore to the Old Northwest. 
These Territories became dowered with 
nearly fifty years of the political accretions 
of the Old Northwest, and through the ad- 
ministrations of Governor Dodge partook 
for several years of the streams of statutes, 
administrative policies, precedents, and ju- 
dicial interpretations which had their foun- 
tain in the Ordinance of 1787. 

This book of biography was begun w^hile 
the writer was holding the position of Ee- 
search Assistant in The State Historical 
Society of Iowa. The sources from which 
the material was obtained are indicated in 
the Notes and References at the close of the 
text. In all quotations the original spelling, 
capitalization, and punctuation have been 
retained. Chapter I of this volume is a 
slight recasting of Chapter I of the writer's 
Augustus Caesar Dodge, while considerable 
portions of Chapter II of that volume have 
been literally incorporated into the present 
work. 

In the preparation of this biography the 
articles on Henry Dodge in the Iowa His- 



xiv AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

torical Record by the late Dr. William Salter 
have been found invaluable. It is, more- 
over, a pleasure to recall the profitable in- 
terviews with this Iowa historian at his 
home in Burlington. Dr. Benj. P. Sham- 
baugh, the Superintendent of The State 
Historical Society of Iowa and Editor of 
the loiva Biographical Series, suggested the 
writing of this book. To him the author is 
indebted for constant interest and encour- 
agement. Through his labors from the 
manuscript to the final proof he has con- 
tri])uted the best words of advice, suggestion, 
and decision. The credit of preparing the 
index is due to Miss Ethyl E. Martin, Clerk 
to the Superintendent of The State His- 
torical Society of Iowa. 



Louis Pelzer 



Montana State Normal College 
DiLLOx Montana 



CONTENTS 

I. Ancestry and Early Life 1 

II. Civil and Milit.iry Matters 1805-1821 16 

III. Lead Mining in Missouri, Illinois, and 

Michigan Territory 28 

IV. Indian Uprisings and Discontent . . 39 
V. The Black Hawk War 49 

VI. Major of Mounted Rangers 67 

VII. Colonel of the First Regiment of 

Dragoons 80 

VIII. The Expedition to the Pawnee Pict 

Village .... 94 

IX. The March of the Dragoons to the 

Rocky ]\Iountains 113 

X. Governor of the Original Territory 

OP Wisconsin 1836-1838 128 

XI. Governor of Wisconsin Territory 

1838-1841 145 

XII. Delegate from the Territory of Wis- 
consin 158 

XIII. Governor of Wisconsin Territory 

1845-1848 172 

XIV. United States Senator 185 

XV. Character and Services 193 

Notes and References 207 

Index 249 



Ancestry and Early Life ^ 

Lying due south of the main shore of Rhode 
Island is an island irregular in shape, about 
eight miles long and three miles in width, 
commanding in every direction a view of the 
Atlantic. Adrian Block, a Dutch skipper, 
had touched this bit of land in 1614 and had 
modestly named it '* Block Eylandt." ^ For 
nearly fifty years its Indian inhabitants 
lived undisturbed by any permanent settle- 
ments of the white man ; but in 1661 a shal- 
lop from Taunton, Massachusetts, landed its 
cargo of fifteen passengers — the first set- 
tlers of Block Island. Among the list was 
one Trustarum (or Tristram) Dodge, the 
ancestral founder of the Dodge family in 
America.^ 

For over two centuries this family line 
grew and prospered — nurturing and devel- 
oping the instinct of migration which had 
led the founder to Block Island. The west- 
ward trail of their migrations winds through 



2 HENRY DODGE 

many States and is marked by Indian wars 
and the exploits and hardships of frontier 
settlements. In the far West the record 
gains new strength in the Black Hawk War 
and in the negotiation of Indian treaties. 
Under the legislative and administrative 
force of this family vast territorial empires 
of the West were transformed into Terri- 
tories and Commonwealths with security, 
wealth and population. Still further, the 
descendants of this family contribute to the 
diplomatic history of the Nation. In short, 
the achievements of the Dodge family are 
another expression of that dominating force 
and virility of character which won the 
West. 

Israel Dodge, one of the four sons of 
Trustarum Dodge migrated to New London, 
Connecticut, in the latter part of the seven- 
teenth century, and on October 1, 1720, sold 
his land on Block Island to his brothers. Of 
the five sons of Israel, John was born in 
1689. He removed to Colchester and then to 
Canterbury, Connecticut, and died at the 
ripe age of eighty-seven or eighty-eight 
years.^ 

Eleven children, the third of whom was 
born on March 10, 1723, and also named 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE 3 

John, were born to John Doclge.^ John 
Dodge, Jr., became a blacksmith by trade; 
and the farm implements which he made are 
said to have been of superior quality. For 
many years he lived at Canterbury, Con- 
necticut, where the family were regular at- 
tendants of the Baptist Church. He was 
thrice married ; and it is said that in his cor- 
respondence he compared his three wives to 
"Heaven, Earth, and Hell". Eight children 
were born of the first wife, and the father 
sometimes gave their names in the following 
bit of rhvme : 

Jordan and John, 

Israel and Josiah, 

Lydia and Elizabeth, 

Jere and Miah.^ 

Israel, the tliird son and the third of that 
name in his line, was the father of Henry 
Dodge. He was born at Canterbury, Con- 
necticut, on September 3, 1760. The spirit 
of adventure and a love for daring seem to 
have been born in him, and when but a lad of 
fifteen years he visited the coast of Africa 
on board a slaver. Two years later the Col- 
onies were in revolt against their mother- 
land and young Israel joined the Revolu- 
tionary troops from Connecticut. On Sep- 



4 HENRY DODGE 

tember 11, 1777, he participated in the Battle 
of Brandy wine, ^ and in a hand-to-hand fight 
with a Britisher he was wounded in the chest 
by a bayonet. The youthful La Fayette 
(only three years older) also underwent his 
baptism of fire in this battle, and while at- 
tempting to rally the yielding patriots was 
wounded in the leg by a musket-ball. Later 
young Israel served as Second Lieutenant in 
the Continental army. 

Near the close of the war Israel Dodge 
was married to Nancy Ann Hunter, whose 
life is filled with pioneer hardsliips and ad- 
ventures. She was the youngest of the eight 
children of Joseph and Molly Hunter — a 
sturdy Scotch-Irish couple who settled at 
Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where Nancy Ann 
was born. The father, however, did not 
prosper well in Pennsylvania and so the 
family decided to emigrate to Kentucky. 

When but fifteen years of age Nancy Ann 
occupied with her father's family a fort in 
Kentucky a few miles below the mouth of 
the Ohio River. The stealth and treachery 
of the Indians made the cultivation of the 
soil extremely hazardous. Frequently the 
little garrison was reduced almost to starva- 
tion, having nothing to subsist upon except 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE 5 

what could be reared and cultivated in little 
patches around the fort. Sometimes when 
the savages would relax their watchfulness 
a few of the bolder settlers would venture 
out and return with a pack of game for the 
hungry inmates. At other times they were 
so closely beleaguered that they did not dare 
to venture outside the stockade. 

Such was the situation w^hen one day a 
favorite cow gave birth to a calf a short dis- 
tance from the fort. Both animals were ex- 
posed to the danger of capture by the 
skulking warriors; and so the settlers held 
a hurried consultation. But realizing the 
danger from hidden Redskins, none of them 
would venture outside. Then it was that 
alone and unaided Nancy Ann rushed forth 
and seized the calf in her arms, while all eyes 
were fixed upon her. Carrying the calf 
toward the fort, with the cow closely follow- 
ing after, she advanced toward the stockade 
while a volley of arrows whistled around 
her. Amid the joy of those in the fort all 
three reached the stockade unharmed.^ 

Meanwhile western immigration had been 
powerfull.v stimulated by the capture, in 
1778 and 1779, of Kaskaskia and Vincennes 
in the Old Northwest Territory by Colonel 



6 HENRY DODGE 

George Rogers Clark.^ The roaming, rest- 
less character of the pioneers and frontiers- 
men of this time is well typified in the life 
of John Dodge whose career is somewhat 
interwoven with that of his younger brother 
Israel. 

Before the outbreak of the Revolutionary 
War, John Dodge had been a trader at San- 
dusky, Ohio. Having showed his attach- 
ment to the cause of the Colonists, he was 
arrested bv the British who carried him to 
Detroit and later to Quebec, from whence he 
escaped in 1779.^° After the war he received 
compensation in land for the losses he had 
suffered during that conflict.^^ 

In his own narrative Jolm Dodge gives a 
rather gruesome account of his confinement 
by Henry Hamilton, the Governor and 
Commandant at Detroit. "He ordered me 
to close confinement," writes Dodge, ''tell- 
ing me to spend that night in making my 
peace with God, as it was the last night I 
should live: I was then hurried to a loath- 
some dungeon, ironed and thi'own in with 
three criminals, being allowed neither bed- 
ding, straw or fire, although it was in the 
depth of winter, and so exceeding cold, that 
my toes were froze before morning.'" 



>12 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE 7 

Arriving at Boston John Dodge attracted 
the attention of General Washington who 
recommended him to Congress as a man who 
might be useful in the West. From Boston 
he went to Virginia where, gaining the con- 
fidence of Thomas Jefferson and Patrick 
Henry, he was appointed Indian Agent at 
Kaskaskia for the Illinois country. Israel 
Dodge had also been drawn into this west- 
ward current of migration and with his 
young wife migrated to Kaskaskia where he 
served under the military authority of his 
brother. ^^ 

Disagreements between the civil and the 
military authority arose in the Illinois 
country. The military officers, forced to 
offer worthless continental paper which the 
inhabitants refused to receive, were com- 
pelled to seize provisions without giving 
proper compensation in return. Richard 
Winston, the Acting Governor, charged some 
of the military officers with dishonesty and 
crime; and they in return promptly im- 
prisoned him. This was on April 29, 1782. 
He complained bitterly of the ** tyrannic 
military force" and indignantly protested 
against the arrest which had been made ''by 
Israel Dodge, on an order given by John 



8 HENRY DODGE 

Dodge, in despite of the civil authority. "^^ 

Leaving the warring factions at Kaskas- 
kia, Israel Dodge lived for some time at 
the Falls of the Ohio River /^ The spirit of 
migration, however, again impelled him on- 
ward ; and in 1788 or 1789 he left Kentucky 
and with his brother John removed to the 
Spanish province of Upper Louisiana. 
They settled at New Bourbon near the old 
French town of Ste. Genevieve, while the 
McDonalds, another family from Kentucky, 
located near St. Louis. 

They had been tempted to these regions 
by reports concerning the rich lands and the 
prosperous lead mines which were offered 
without price to all who would occupy and 
improve them.^^ For nearly twenty years 
Ste. Genevieve had been a market for lead, 
which, next to peltries, was the most impor- 
tant export of the Province of Upper Louisi- 
ana. It even served as the currency of the 
region, and a peck of corn exchanged for a 
peck of ore. Later the growth of St. Louis 
caused the lead trade to become centered at 
that city.^^ 

Near Ste. Genevieve this Connecticut 
Yankee, Israel Dodge, prospered and be- 
came wealthy. In 1799 the Spanish officials 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE 9 

of the district of New Bourbon made a re- 
quest for patriotic donations and loans to 
aid Spain in the European wars. In the list 
of donors the name of Israel Dodge, a plant- 
er, stands as one of the three heaviest con- 
tributors — his contribution being twenty- 
piastres in lead or furs/^ 

On October 15, 1799, he petitioned the 
Lieutenant General of the province, Don 
Carlos Dehault de Lassus, for a grant of 
one thousand arpens of land upon which he 
had made many improvements. The com- 
mandant of the post at New Bourbon, Pierre 
de Lassus de Luziere, recommended the 
granting of the petition, declaring that the 
petitioner had often signalized his zeal for 
the King's service. "In short," he wrote, 
"we do attest that the said petitioner has 
erected, at a very great expense, several es- 
tablishments, such as mills, brew^eries, dis- 
tilleries, and others, which are of the most 
precious utility to the inhabitants of this sec- 
tion of the countrv. ' ' The concession of this 
tract of land bears the date of October 25, 
1799.^^ 

Such grants, however, were often of com- 
paratively small value because of the few 
and isolated settlements, dangers from the 



10 HENRY DODGE 

Indians, and remoteness from markets. It 
is most interesting to note that one of the 
tracts of land granted to Israel Dodge hj 
the King of Spain, long after the land had 
passed from his descendants, furnished 
some of the building stone for the present 
capitol of the State of lowa.^^ 

The products of his farm and of his dis- 
tilleries and breweries were loaded on crude 
crafts, known as the ** flat-bottomed boat", 
or the ''old broad scow", and shipped down 
the Mississippi Eiver to the old Spanish 
town of New Orleans. The river pirates 
added to the risks of such long trips; but 
such dangers did not deter the man who had 
faced the British bayonets at Brandywine. 

On one of these trips,^^ when far down 
the Mississippi, Israel Dodge's boat was 
boarded in broad daylight by a modern 
''Rob Roy", backed by a gang of river 
pirates. Placing their guns at the heads of 
Dodge and his defenseless crew, the pirates 
ordered them to row the boat ashore where 
they could pkmder the cargo to their own 
satisfaction and if need be murder captain 
and crew. Israel Dodge, however, retained 
his self-possession and watched the pirate 
chief closely. Noticing something in his 



ANCESTRY AND EAELY LIFE 11 

speech and bearing whicli aroused the belief 
that he was a Mason, Dodge offered him a 
grip or sign. 

The effect of this act was instantaneous. 
Turning to his companions, the man of 
blood and plunder exclaimed: "Boys! we 
must let this man and his boat go." They 
did so, and the chief graciously accepted a 
barrel of flour and some bacon as presents 
for his kindness and courtesy. Thankful to 
escape so easily the crew continued its wind- 
ing journey down the river and landed safely 
at New Orleans, where they exchanged their 
flour, bacon, and spirits for Spanish gold. 

By the year 1799 the population of Upper 
Louisiana numbered 6028, of whom 4948 
were whites, 883 slaves, and 197 free colored 
persons." Although this territory had been 
under Spanish sway for thirty-seven years 
the region never became Spanish in spirit or 
population but remained French during the 
entire period of Spanish domination. For 
years the population of the American Com- 
monwealths had pressed against the Spanish 
boundaries and had indeed overflowed into 
the region west of the Mississippi. The con- 
trol of the Mississippi as well as of the port 
of New Orleans was of consequence to every 



12 HENRY DODGE 

fanner, planter, tree-feller, and frontiers- 
man on this side of the Alleghanies. The 
retrocession by Spain of the vast empire of 
Louisiana to France in October, 1800, and 
its cession by Napoleon (April 30, 1803) to 
the United States were, therefore, but the 
working out of the destiny of American 
westw^ard expansion. 

On March 9, 1804, Israel Dodge witnessed 
at St. Louis the formal transfer of Upper 
Louisiana to the United States. Captain 
Amos Stoddard, acting for both France and 
the United States, received possession of the 
territory from the last Spanish Governor, 
Carlos Dehault de Lassus. On the next dav 
the stars and stripes of the United States re- 
placed the eagles of the Republic of France. 
Amid the tears and lamentations of the 
ancient inhabitants might have been heard 
the cheers of Israel Dodge swelling the joy- 
ous shouts of the Americans who were pres- 
ent.=^^ 

In the same year, on October 1st, he was 
appointed Sheriff of the Ste. Genevieve 
District by William Henry Harrison, Gov- 
ernor of Indiana and of the District of 
Louisiana. In December he returned a 
venire for the first term of court in the dis- 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE 13 

trict, and was appointed to receive proposals 
for the building of a jail."^ He continued to 
perform his duties as Sheriff and to farm 
his lands until 1806 when he died in the 
forty-seventh year of his age. His ashes 
repose near the ancient town of Ste. Gene- 
vieve, Missouri. 

The romance of history centers about Post 
Vincennes (now Vincennes in Indiana) 
where Henry Dodge was born on October 
12, 1782.'' It is one of the old towns of the 
Mississippi Valley and one for the posses- 
sion of which the great nations of the earth 

— France, England, and the United States 

— have contended. Its capture from the 
British on February 24, 1779, added lustre 
to the military exploits of Colonel George 
Eogers Clark. The early boyhood of Henry 
Dodge was spent in Kentucky amid the 
dangers of that "dark and bloody ground", 
where five of his uncles perished in Indian 
warfare. 

When but fourteen years of age — so runs 
the story ^^ — young Henry Dodge saw in a 
Kentucky village a bra\VTiy savage standing 
over the prostrate form of a woman and 
threatening to scalp her with a butcher 
knife. Eesponding to the screams of the 



14 HENRY DODGE 

woman for help the lad seized a stone and 
with it felled the Indian to the ground. Be- 
lieving that the Indian was dead and fearing 
revenge from the other Indians, Nancy Ann 
warned the boy to flee for his life. After 
spending the night in a graveyard he joined 
a band of pioneers bound for the West and 
soon reached the town of Ste. Genevieve. 

Here under the fostering care of Israel 
Dodge the boy grew to manhood. John 
Dodge had also joined his brother in Upper 
Louisiana, and during the Spanish domi- 
nation all three were for some time engaged 
in making salt upon the Saline River.^^ 

Henry Dodge learned to work at an early 
age. With the help of the slaves he worked 
on the farm and directed its operations. He 
learned and performed the various duties 
connected with his father's mills, breweries, 
and distilleries. He was fond of hunting 
and dangerous exploits, and thus laid the 
foundation of a healthy and vigorous body. 

No doubt he often accompanied his father 
on liis trips down the Mississippi River to 
New Orleans. He had successfully courted 
Christina McDonald, and in 1800 in the 
"Bonne Homme" settlement (a few miles 
west of St. Louis) he was married when she 



ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE 15 

was but fifteen years old.-^ Early in 1805 he 
served as Deputy Sheriff under his father 
in the Ste. Genevieve District — an office 
which was the first in his long civil and 
military career of about fifty years. 



II 

Civil and Military Matters 1805-1821 

These sixteen years of Dodge's life are 
tj^ical of the life of an intelligent, aggres- 
sive man of southeastern Missouri in the 
early part of the nineteenth century. This 
period witnesses the exit of the old Spanish 
regime, changes in territorial jurisdictions, 
the effects upon a frontier community of a 
war with a foreign power, the transition 
from Territory to Statehood, and the opera- 
tion of those political and social forces 
which bore fruitage in the Commonwealth 
of Missouri. And in all these matters Henry 
Dodge bore a part. 

It will be recalled that what is now the 
State of Missouri was by the act of March 
26, 1804, placed under the jurisdiction of the 
Governor and Judges of the Indiana Terri- 
^QPy 29 Substantially the same five old ad- 
ministrative districts of the Spanish regime 
were retained and later became known as 
counties. The District of Ste. Genevieve, 

16 



CIVIL AND MILITARY MATTERS 17 

the residence of Henry Dodge, thus became 
a legatee of the political estate of the old 
Spanish administration as well as that of 
the Old Northwest Territory. Such is the 
political background upon which the public 
career of Henry Dodge is to be sketched. 

Late in 1804 and in 1805 a system of local 
government was established in the Ste. 
Genevieve District. Courts were organized, 
public buildings were erected, townships 
were created, and a system of taxation was 
inaugurated. There is a record that in 
March of 1805 Henry Dodge and five others 
were indicted and convicted of assault and 
battery. In September of the same year 
Dodge qualified as Sheriff of the Ste. 
Genevieve District — an office which he filled 
for a period of sixteen years.^'* 

This was an important office and was 
vested with a large number of duties and 
powers. Moreover, in addition to the pow- 
ers which the office possesses to-day, the 
Sheriff of Ste. Genevieve was an important 
official of financial administration, some- 
times performing the duties of assessor, col- 
lector, and treasurer.^^ In 1805 the total 
tax levy for the Ste. Genevieve District was 
$1171.94. Not until 1821 was a court-house 



18 HENRY DODGE 

built and courts were compelled to meet in 
the parish house, in the tavern, or in private 
dwellings. After 1814 the sessions were held 
at the home of Henry Dodge where testi- 
mony was given, arguments heard, and jus- 
tice rendered.'^" 

Such a frontier community, with its 
sparse settlements and opportunities for the 
escape of criminals, demanded a Sheriff 
with energy and decision to hunt down the 
desperate characters of the District. The 
two executions made during Sheriff Dodge 's 
administration were those of Peter Johnson 
and Charles Heath. Peter Johnson was 
hanged on August 3, 1810, for the murder 
of John Spear; and Charles Heath met a 
similar fate on March 9, 1812, for the mur- 
der of Hugh Jones. These were the first 
legal executions in the histor}^ of the 
count3\^^ 

Meanwhile Aaron Burr had, since the 
smnmer of 1805, been dreaming of conquests 
and empires far to the Southwest, and in 
1806 had made a trip down the Ohio River. 
Vague rumors were afloat to the effect that 
Burr was to capture the Spanish province 
of Mexico, place himself upon the throne, 
or perhaps annex the province to the United 



CIVIL AND MILITARY IVIATTERS 19 

States. This enterprise naturally stirred 
the blood of adventurous characters who 
would have welcomed a fight with the Span- 
ish Dons. Henrv Dodge and Colonel Jack 
Smith T. (then a judge of the Court of Com- 
mon Pleas for Ste. Genevieve) constituted 
a pair of such daring men, and they set out 
to join the Burr expedition. 

Hearing that Burr was to meet recruits 
at New Madrid, Dodge and Smith floated 
down to that place in canoes. But upon 
their arrival they learned of President Jef- 
ferson's proclamation which declared the ex- 
pedition unlawful. ' ' Cols. Smith and Dodge 
were mortified; sold their canoes, bought 
horses, and came back home to Ste. Gene- 
vieve. When Dodge got to town he found 
great excitement; the grand jury were in 
session, and had actually indicted Dodge 
and Smith for treason. Dodge surrendered 
himself and gave bail for his appearance. 
After doing this, Dodge, who considered 
himself greatly outraged by the action of 
the grand jury, pulled off his coat, rolled up 
his sleeves, and whipped nine of the grand 
jurors. Henry Dodge was a tall man, over 
six feet high, as straight as an Indian, and 
possessed of great strength. He would have 



20 HENRY DODGE 



whipped every member of the grand jury if 
the rest had not run away."^^ 

Accounts of civil matters touching the 
life of Henry Dodge during this period are 
comparatively meagre. During the early 
years of his term as Sheriff he was one of a 
party who dismantled an old cannon at Fort 
Chartres. Embarking upon a keel-boat, 
which was rowed up the Mississippi River 
by negroes, they transported the historic 
cannon to Ste. Genevieve where it often 
pealed forth in honor of American inde- 
pendence.^^ In 1808 he was one of the 
twenty-one trustees of Ste. Genevieve 
Academy.^® Three years later he and John 
Scott (who was later the Delegate from the 
Territorv of Missouri) were seconds in a 
duel between Dr. Walter Fenwick and 
Thomas T. Crittenden, in which the former 
was mortally wounded. This duel is typical 
of the many that occurred on the frontier in 
which Henry Dodge lived.^' 

On June 4, 1812, the Territory of Missouri 
was created, and in the next year Henry 
Dodge was appointed Marshal for the new 
Territory. His commission bore the sig- 
natures of President James Madison and 
Secretary of State James Monroe. In 1806 



CIVIL AND MILITARY MATTERS 21 

and 1807 he had held rank in the militia of 
Ste. Genevieve as Lieutenant and Adjutant, 
while later he was appointed First Lieuten- 
ant and then Captain in the Ste. Genevieve 
Troop of Cavalry. 

A remarkable list^*^ of the commissions of 
Henry Dodge, preserved by his son and 
later presented to the Historical Depart- 
ment at Des Moines, Iowa, e]3itomizes the 
civil and military career of Henry Dodge. 
These commissions embrace a period of serv- 
ice of over forty years and bear the signa- 
tures of presidents, governors, secretaries 
of state, and other high officials. Indeed, 
there are few, if any, collections of docu- 
mentarv historv of the West which can 
equal this one in unique interest. 

Henry Dodge was in his thirtieth year 
when war w^as declared against Great 
Britain on June 18, 1812. By experience, 
taste, and capacity he was fitted to take a 
useful part in this encounter. Although the 
people of southeastern Missouri were far re- 
moved from the principal theatre of the war 
they had to participate in several engage- 
ments with the Indians and to exercise 
ceaseless vigilance against this dangerous 
foe. For vears before 1812 British traders 



22 HENRY DODGE 

along the Great Lakes and the Northwest 
had been fomenting dissatisfaction among 
the Indians and had even supplied them 
with arms and ammunition. After the 
declaration of war the British agents of the 
Upper Mississippi increased their activities 
in inciting the Indians to war. On Septem- 
ber 5, 1812, the Sacs and Foxes of Rock 
River, assisted by the Winnebagoes under 
Black Hawk, made an unsuccessful attack 
on Fort Madison on the Mississippi River.^^ 
The next year it was twice attacked by 
marauding bands. "Boone Lick Settle- 
ment", consisting of about one hundred and 
fifty families in what are now Howard and 
Cooper counties of Missouri, was in a very 
exposed condition and suffered frequent 
depredations. 

Such events roused Governor William 
Clark to action, and in 1814 the militia of 
the Territory was organized. Henry Dodge, 
on January 17th of that jesiT, had been com- 
missioned Brigadier General of the Terri- 
torial militia, and in Ste. Genevieve County 
he had raised a mounted volunteer rifle com- 
pany of which he became the Captain.^^ It 
was evident that a vigorous campaign was to 
be pushed in order to insure the future peace 



CIVIL AND MILITARY MATTERS 23 

and safety of the settlers and their property. 
Waiving his rank as General and taking 
command as Lieutenant Colonel of mounted 
men, Dodge was now (in September, 1814) 
ordered to march to the relief of the "Boone 
Lick Settlement", which lay along the Mis- 
souri River about two hundred and fifty 
miles to the northwest of Ste. Genevieve 
where for several vears its one hundred and 
fifty families had been exposed to Indian 
dangers. 

Dodge's force consisted of three hundred 
and fifty mounted men, commanded by the 
following Captains : John W. Thompson of 
St. Louis, Isaac Van Bibber of Loutre Lick, 
Hem-y Poston of the Missouri Mining Re- 
gion, Sarshall Cooper of the "Boone Lick 
Settlement", and Daugherty of Cape Gir- 
ardeau. Majors Nathaniel Cook and Daniel 
M. Boone, Benjamin Cooper (a brother of 
Sarshall Cooper), and David Barton (later 
a United States Senator from Missouri) ac- 
companied the force. Besides these volun- 
teers there were about forty friendly 
Shawnees commanded by four war captains 
— Na-kour-me, Kish-kal-le-wa, Pap-pi-qua, 
and Wa-pe-pil-le-se. Both Pap-pi-qua and 
Wa-pe-pil-le-se were fully seventy years old 



24 HENRY DODGE 

and had had much service in the "dark and 
bloody ground". 

After several days of steady marching^ ^ 
they reached the ''Boone Lick Settlement". 
At Arrow Rock they prepared to cross the 
Missouri, and Dodge selected six of his most 
active men for the advance. The others, 
flanked by canoes, struck through the swift 
stream and reached the southern bank in 
safety. Two hours were consumed in cross- 
ing with all the horses, baggage, arms, etc. 

Meanwhile the Shawnee scouts had found 
and reported the locality of the hostile 
Miamis, who had erected a small fort. 
Dodge urged his men forward several miles 
up the river and in the night discovered and 
surrounded the enemy in what is known as 
Miami Bend in Saline County. Through the 
Shawnees the Miamis offered to surrender. 
Dodge now called a council of his officers, 
who advised that the Indians be received as 
prisoners and that their lives be sacredly 
preserved. For the latter, declared Dodge, 
the officers and their men should be held 
personally responsible. The Indians num- 
bering thirty-one warriors and one hundred 
and twenty-two women and children then 
formally surrendered. 



CIVIL AND MILITARY MATTERS 25 

The next morning, when searching for 
hidden property, the troops found the well- 
known rifle of Campbell, the potter, who had 
been slain by the Indians some months be- 
fore. The enraged Boone Lick troops now 
insisted that the murderer be surrendered; 
and Captain Cooper, at Dodge's refusal, 
threatened in behalf of his company to kill 
the whole of the Indians and by common 
consent his men cocked their rifles. The 
Indian warriors fell upon their knees and 
prepared for death. Without turning to the 
armed men Dodge now drew his sword, 
thrust the point within six inches of Coop- 
er's breast, and reminded him of the pledge 
to protect the prisoners. He could not see 
them slaughtered in cold blood, and declared 
that if the Boone Lick men fired upon them 
Captain Cooper should instantly suffer the 
consequences. 

"At this critical moment", reads Draper's 
notes, "Major Daniel M. Boone came dash- 
ing up to Gen. Dodge's side, and said he 
would stand by him to the last, and he taunt- 
ed Cooper with the treachery of the act he 
proposed. Dodge was firm, never taking his 
eye from Cooper's. Boone presented a de- 
termined countenance, as brave men always 



26 HENRY DODGE 

do when actuated by noble purposes. At 
length Cooper yielded, and Dodge ordered 
him to take his place in the line, and march 
away. He doggedly obeyed, and his men 
rode by. The Indians now jumped to their 
feet with expressions of joy and gratitude 
to Dodge and Boone. The Shawanoes, too, 
were much gratified that the Miamis were 
spared." 

Twenty-one years later Kish-kal-le-wa 
visited his old commander at Fort Leaven- 
worth and revived the incidents of this 
scene in which Dodge had borne a most 
magnanimous part. In a long retrospect of 
Indian warfare Dodge could well look upon 
his conduct in saving these prisoners as one 
of the happiest acts of his life. 

Such was the part of Henry Dodge in the 
War of 1812. After the treaty of Ghent on 
December 24, 1814, several treaties of peace 
had to be made with savage tribes which had 
been in league with Great Britain or at war 
with the United States. Military men often 
participated in these treaties for the pur- 
pose of impressing the Indians with a mili- 
tary force, of preserving order, and of wit- 
nessing the treaty itself. Henry Dodge's 
knowledge of Indian character, his compre- 



CIVIL AND MILITARY MATTERS 27 

hension of frontier life and conditions, and 
his military experience well fitted him to 
take part in treaty-making. The two treat- 
ies which he helped to make and to which 
his name stands as a witness are those be- 
tween William Clark, Ninian Edwards, and 
Augnste Chontean, commissioners on the 
part of the United States, and the chiefs and 
warriors of the Teton and the Yankton 
Sionx tribes. These treaties of peace and 
friendship were signed on July 19, 1815.^- 

After the War of 1812 Henry Dodge ex- 
changed the occupation of war for that of 
lead-mining. Subsequent to the year 1818 
there was a persistent agitation for the ad- 
mission of Missouri as a State. In May of 
1820 Henry Dodge was chosen as one of 
the four delegates from Ste. Genevieve 
Countv to attend the constitutional conven- 
tion at St. Louis in the following June. 
Here he met his former comrades-in-arms, 
David Barton and Nathaniel Cook, and 
such men as Nathan Boone and John Scott 
who were delegates at this convention.^^ 
The convention adopted the Constitution on 
July 19, 1820; and Henry Dodge thus wit- 
nessed the last and permanent stage in the 
early political evolution of Missouri. 



Ill 

Lead-Mining in Missouri, Illinois, and 
Michigan Teeritory 

The earliest movements into what is now 
Missouri were prompted by the hope of 
finding mineral wealth; and in this search 
the French, the Spanish, and the settlers of 
Illinois had joined. Lead, peltries, and salt 
were the principal articles of export when 
Louisiana was first acquired by the United 
States. As early as 1809 the first shot-tower 
was in operation at Herculaneum. While 
the lead was abundant and easily mined the 
cost of transporting it from the mines to the 
river had always been a problem.^* 

Henry Dodge had grown to manhood in 
the lead-mining region and undoubtedly had 
served his apprenticeship in his father's 
business of salt and lead-mining and in the 
operation of distilleries. No doubt he had 
often accompanied Israel Dodge in his trips 
down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. 
After the war he had resumed his business 

28 



LEAD MINING 29 

of salt-making at the mouth of the Saline 
River. While this business was profitable, 
the use of steamboats after 1817 cheapened 
transportation from the Ohio Valley so that 
prices declined from $5.00 to $.75 a bushel. 
In Jefferson County he carried on the busi- 
ness of mining and smelting lead. The old 
Spanish milled dollars were still in use ; but 
there was no small coin. "I have frequentty 
seen my father", said his son Augustus, "go 
to a blacksmith shop with a bag of silver 
dollars, and then cut them up into halves, 
quarters and eighths, for small change. My 
mother made buckskin pockets in his clothes 
to carry this fractional currency. "^^ 

For several years the fame of the Upper 
Mississippi Lead Mines had been spreading 
and their steady competition had seriously 
embarrassed Henry Dodge's fortune. Since 
1822 hordes of speculators and squatters 
from Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and 
southern Illinois had rushed to the Fever 
River lead region in upper Illinois. Drawn 
into this current of migration, Henry Dodge 
emigrated in 1827^^ with his wife, nine chil- 
dren, and a family of slaves to this new land 
of opportunity. 

Embarking on the "Indiana" the Dodges 



30 HENRY DODGE 

with other miners soon reached the Rapids 
of the River Des Moines where they were 
forced to transfer to a keel-boat. For twen- 
ty-four days this primitive craft was rowed 
and towed against the steady current of the 
Mississippi by some forty French oarsmen 
up to Galena — a distance of about two hun- 
dred miles. Shovels, picks, buckets, and 
windlasses were stowed in the boat. The 
apartments for passengers were crowded; 
while the food was in keeping with the other 
discomforts. Montrose and Fort Madison 
were left behind. Passing the bluffs where 
now stands Burlington, Henry Dodge little 
thought that here he would spend his last 
days and find his final resting-place.^^ 

Arriving at Galena late in the summer of 
1827, Henry Dodge spent several months in 
prospecting for lead ; and he also assisted in 
quelling Indian disturbances and outbreaks 
to be described later. Everywhere he found 
an enterprising and adventurous set of men. 
Population was increasing by strides and 
bounds; labor was scarce and high-priced; 
and in July, 1828, there was a demand for 
five hundred men who could find employ- 
ment at $17 to $25 per month with board.^^ 
"You cannot get", writes an observer in 



LEAD MINING 31 

December, 1827, ''a hand even to cook or to 
wait about your house for less than $15 per 
month in silver"/^ 

It is likely that Dodge could find no de- 
sirable location in the region about Galena ; 
and so on the 3rd of November, 1827, he 
established himself near the present city of 
Dodgeville in what is now Iowa County, 
Wisconsin — then a portion of Michigan 
Territory.^^ Such men as Charles Bracken, 
Ebenezer Brigham, and John H. Roundtree 
also migrated to the lead region to devote 
themselves to the lead industry. Henry 
Dodge was one of the first to build a smelting 
furnace.^^ 

"He made friendlv terms with the In- 
dians of the neighborhood", writes Salter, 
''and gave them presents as in the way of 
rent for occupying their lands. He made a 
home for his family, and took precautions 
for their protection and safety. More than 
a hundred miners soon gathered to the 
'camp'. The neighborhood resounded with 
the stroke of the ax and the click of tools. 
Shafts were sunk in every direction. He 
discovered the only lode in the region that 
proved to be of much value. "^- 

The political problems of this frontier 



32 HENRY DODGE 

coiimiimity were the outgrowth of economic- 
conditions. It was inconceivable that the 
rich lead, deposits could long remain in their 
virgin state. The trespassing of the squatter 
miners tended to bring them into conflict 
with Federal statutes and with the Indians 
— treaties with whom too often lacked defi- 
niteness. Not a little of the activitv of 
Dodge in the mining district consisted in 
adjusting his relations with the Federal 
statutes, with Indian Agents, and with the 
Indian tribes. 

In January of 1828 Joseph M. Street, the 
Indian Agent at Prairie du Chien, reported 
to William Clark, the Superintendent of 
Indian Affairs at St. Louis, that Dodge 
with about fifty well-armed men had settled 
upon ground which had been reserved by the 
treaty of August 24, 1816. ''Many are flock- 
ing to him from Fever River", wrote Street, 
''and he permits them to join upon pajdng 
certain stipulated portions of the original 
purchase. The ore is more abundant, nearer 
the surface, and obtained with greater fa- 
cility than ever known in this country. It 
is said that he has raised about half a mil- 
lion of mineral, smelted from 900 to 1000 
bars, and is smelting fift}^ bars a day. With 



LEAD MINING 33 

two negro men he raises about 2000 pounds 
per day. " ^^ 

Mutterings of discontent now arose 
among the ¥v^innebagoes whose lands had 
thus been encroached upon, and Street be- 
came greatly alarmed. Sub-Agent John 
Marsh was sent to notify Dodge to move off 
instantly if he did not wish to be removed by 
force. ' ' Gen. Dodge ' ', wrote the sub-agent,^* 
''resides in a small stockade fort near the 
principal mine. There are about twenty log 
houses in the immediate vicinity, besides 
several more remote. He has a double 
furnace in constant operation, and a large 
quantity of lead in bars and in the crude 
state. From the best information I have 
been able to obtain there are about one hun- 
dred and thirt}^ men engaged in mining at 
this place, and completely armed with rifles 
and pistols. I was also informed that there 
[were] about fifteen Winnebagoes ten or 
twelve miles distant who frequently visit the 
mines, and who have been presented by Gen. 
Dodge with several hundred dollars worth 
of provisions and merchandise. When about 
to return, I was desired by Gen. Dodge to 
inform you that he should leave the country 
as soon as he convenient^ could. ' ' 



34 HENRY DODGE 

Henry Dodge declined, however, to leave 
the mining region, believing that more defi- 
nite treaties with the Indians should and 
would be made in the near future. Although 
Agent Street had attempted to raise a mili- 
tary force with which to oust him, Dodge 
and his miners held their ground and re- 
mained unmolested. He had not long to 
wait for the extinguishment of the titles to 
the Indian lands. Indeed his own name 
stands appended as a witness to the treaty of 
August 1, 1829,^^ by which the Winnebagoes 
sold their lands in the mining district to the 
United States. The consideration was 
$18,000 and large quantities of merchandise 
— both to be paid annually for thirty years. 

From Helena on the Wisconsin River he 
continued to ship lead to New Orleans, as his 
father Israel Dodge had done thirty years 
before. These river shipments, made with- 
out transferring the cargoes to steamers at 
St. Louis, required over three months. 
When the Indian lands came into market 
he bought more than a thousand acres, and 
upon this land he lived for nearly forty 
vears."*^ 

The increase of population, wealth, and 
commerce due to the development of the lead 



LEAD MINING 35 

industiy now created a demand for a sep- 
arate Territory. In this demand the inhab- 
itants of the lead region found an able and 
willing champion in Henry Dodge. Himself 
vitally interested in the industry he well 
foresaw that an expanding trade and popu- 
lation would soon require more adequate 
laws and administration than could be fur- 
nished by the Legislative Assembly at De- 
troit — nearly a thousand miles away. The 
business relations of the miners were with 
Missouri, Illinois, and the General Govern- 
ment rather than with the peninsula of Mich- 
igan. 

To Austin E. Wing, the Territorial Dele- 
gate from Michigan, he stated his views in 
February of 1829." "Taxation and repre- 
sentation should go together," he urged, 
"and it will readily appear, on examination 
of the returns made by the superintendent 
of the United States' lead-mines, that the 
people of this mining country have paid a 
greater amoimt of taxes than any equal num- 
ber of citizens in the United States, or Ter- 
ritories; and that, a direct tax upon the 
labour of the whole community. " He point- 
ed out that representation was inadequate; 
that the laws were not adapted to the com- 



36 HENRY DODGE 

munity; and that the protection from In- 
dians was insufficient. 

In 1831 Henry Dodge and Morgan L. 
Martin were elected to the Fifth Legislative 
Council of Michigan Territory to represent 
the whole region west of Lake Michigan ; but 
the events of the Black Hawk War the next 
year prevented Dodge from attending the 
sessions at Detroit.^® 

Three days before his election he had 
again expressed his views concerning the 
division of the Territory. "Laws then can 
be made", he said, "suited to the manners, 
habits, and condition of the people residing 
within the limits of the contemplated terri- 
tory. The relation we stand to the General 
Government makes it important to us that 
we should have a direct representation at 
Washington. Living on the United States 
lands and w^orking their lead mines, it be- 
comes a matter of much interest to the min- 
ing country that the rights of pre-emption 
should be secured to them on the most liberal 
principles both for the farms they occupy 
as well as their mineral grounds." ^^ 

A few months later in behalf of the mining 
region he prepared and addressed a memo- 
rial to the Secretary of War, Lewis Cass, in 



LEAD MINING 37 

which he clearly described the situation and 
the conditions of the citizens living in the 
mineral region.*'" The United States Gov- 
ernment had invited the people to the lead 
region when it could not give them protec- 
tion on the frontiers. Indian hostilities in 
1827 forced a suspension of work for one 
year and left them without the means of re- 
turning to the communities from which they 
had emigrated. Under such conditions the 
people settled upon the mineral lands. Fur- 
thermore, he urged, millions of pounds of 
lead had been given to the United States as 
rent since 1827. The price of lead had de- 
clined, and the memorialists earnestly hoped 
that the tariff on the article would not be 
increased. 

Should the government decide to survey 
and then sell the mineral lands, Dodge urged 
that each miner who had complied with the 
government laws should be given the privi- 
lege of working out all discoveries made on 
mineral lots or surveys. Without such a 
reservation miners who have had mineral 
lands in their possession for years might be 
left destitute through the purchase of their 
lands by speculators. 

Many events combined to delay for four 



38 HENRY DODGE 

years the division of Michigan Territory; 
and in the meantime Henry Dodge's active 
career in the mining industry ends and be- 
comes transferred for four years to the drill- 
ground, the camp, the march, and the field 
of battle. By the people of the mining coun- 
try his services were valued and, indeed, 
happily remembered when in 1836 a Govern- 
or for the original Territory of Wisconsin 
was appointed. 



IV 

Indian Uprisings and Discontent 

Since the war of 1812 the General Gov- 
ernnient had enjoyed peace with the Indian 
tribes, and many treaties of friendship had 
been negotiated i^rior to 1827 — a year that 
marks the beginning of a period of spas- 
modic Indian disturbances with which 
Henry Dodge's military career becomes 
linked. A brief retrospect into the causes 
and conditions of these outbreaks is neces- 
sary to secure a narrative of the Indian wars 
of more than three quarters of a century 
ago. 

By the treaty of August 24, 1816, a divi- 
sion line was run between the lands of the 
Ottawas, Chippewas, and Pottawattamies of 
the Illinois River and those of the Winne- 
bagoes.*^^ This treaty was subsequently re- 
affirmed by the Winnebagoes in the treaty 
of August 19, 1825.'' Upon the lands of the 
former the treaty had allowed (under cer- 
tain conditions) diggings and settlements to 

39 



40 HENRY DODGE 

be made. In the years 1825 and 1826 the 
lead mania was at its height. Diggings 
were commenced and pushed without regard 
to the treaty line until at last the mines were 
in the acknowledged territory of the Winne- 
bagoes. 

The Indians remonstrated and even con- 
tended against the miners who drove them 
from their own lands. The Indians became 
much soured, exhibited symptoms of great 
discontent, and behaved roughly to miners 
crossing the Rock River (within the Winne- 
bago limits) and passing to their diggings. 
The Indians charged and exacted heavy toll 
and in some cases forced property from the 
trespassers. Thus were the Indians "driven 
from the mines, and spoiled of the valuable 
product of the mines on their lands, and 
goaded into a state of high excitement "."^^ 

Such were the beginnings of Winnebago 
discontent when Henry Dodge was about to 
migrate from Missouri to the lead region of 
the Upper Mississippi. It had been hoped 
that the treaty of August 25th would be a 
lasting one; but during the winter of 1826- 
1827 the older citizens of Prairie du Chien 
had grave fears of Indian uprisings and out- 
rages in the following spring.®^ Moreover, 



INDIAN UPRISINGS 41 

these fears were well grounded ; for in March 
of 1827 a man named Methode, his wife, and 
five children were killed by Winnebagoes 
about twelve miles above Prairie du Chien. 
Red Bird, a Winnebago chief, with two 
others murdered Solomon Litcap and Regis- 
tre Gagnier and scalped a baby near the 
same village late in June, 1827.^^ 

On the same day (June 26th) the Winne- 
bago and Sac Indians fiercely attacked two 
keel-boats at the mouth of the Bad Axe 
River above Prairie du Chien. Two of the 
crew were killed and four wounded; while 
among the Indians seven were killed and a 
large number wounded.®^ 

Arms, ammunition, and men were now 
hastily gathered at Fort Crawford and at 
Galena where Brigadier General Henry At- 
kinson had arrived from St. Louis with a 
force of six hundred infantry and one hun- 
dred and fifty mounted men. Everywhere 
the enterprising miners were forsaking their 
diggings and fortifying their stockades. 

Meanwhile Henry Dodge had arrived at 
Galena, where it was soon learned that he 
was a man experienced in Indian warfare. 
A company of one hundred mounted volun- 
teers was raised from the miners and Dodge 



42 HENRY DODGE 

was chosen its commander. The settlers of 
the surrounding country had tied into Ga- 
lena for safety. ''The little place", wrote 
an eye-witness, ''was crowded with families 
pouring in from all parts of the Mines. The 
flat prairie between the bluff and the river 
was covered with wagons, the families camp- 
ing in them; block-houses were erected on 
the hill, companies forming, drums beating, 
and Gen. Dodge was busily engaged in or- 
ganizing troops, and creating order and con- 
fidence out of terror and confusion. ' ' ^^ 

Dodge now cooperated with Brigadier 
General Atkinson, to whom he wrote from 
Galena: "As the principal part of the ef- 
ficient force is preparing to accompany you 
on your expedition up the Ouisconsin, it 
might have a good effect to send a small 
regular force to this part of the coimtry, and 
in our absence they might render protection 
to this region. ' ' ^^ 

Red Bird and his Winnebagoes had fled 
up the Wisconsin Elver. Thither Dodge 
marched his men, one detachment going to 
Prairie du Chien and the remainder to 
English Prairie (now Muscoda) in the 
northeast corner of Grant Countv. These 
mounted men scoured both sides of the Wis- 



INDIAN UPRISINGS 43 

consin River from its moutli to the Portage, 
driving everything before them. It was at 
this time that Dodge saved the life of the 
fifteen year old son of Chief Winneshiek, 
who was almost shot because he refused to 
surrender.*^^ 

Major William Whistler had collected a 
force at the Portage and had been given or- 
ders to await the arrival of Atkinson's force. 
"The Winnebagoes were now in a desperate 
plight", declares an historian of these In- 
dian wars. ''With Col. Snelling in com- 
mand at Fort Crawford, with a large force 
of regulars and volunteers, confronted by 
Major Whistler and his troops, and with 
Gen. Atkinson following their retreat, aided 
by Dodge and his mounted volunteers, who 
drove them out of every hiding place, there 
seemed to be no alternative for them but to 
appeal to the lenient mercy of their pur- 
suers. ' ' ' *^ 

The Indians to the number of several hun- 
dred were at this time encamped within a 
few miles of the place where Major 
Whistler's force was collected. Hearing of 
the quick marches of Atkinson and Dodge 
the Winnebagoes were filled with consterna- 
tion. In a few days a truce was sent to 



44 HENRY DODGE 

Major Whistler who received the surrender 
of Red Bird and the other Indians who had 
committed the murders/^ 

Such was the Winnebago War of 1827. 
Through the prompt efforts of Governor 
Lewis Cass the military forces of the Terri- 
tory were quickly mobilized and a general 
Indian uprising was prevented. ''The ter- 
mination of the Winnebago war", writes 
Moses M. Strong, "brought a temporary 
restoration of peace, which revived anew 
the adventurous spirit of immigration, and 
brought with it a large influx of miners and 
others to the Lead Mines, and prosperity 
and progress constantly attended the in- 
creasing settlements of the country, which 
received no material check until the occur- 
rence of the Black Hawk war in 1832."'^2 

When Dodge removed to the lead region 
of Wisconsin in 1827 he became a tireless 
advocate of the rights of the miners. When 
mutterings of discontent arose from the 
Winnebagoes he was foremost in memorial- 
izing the government for better frontier 
protection. In 1828 Fort Winnebago was 
erected with special reference to keeping the 
tribe in order. By the treaty of August 1, 
1829,"^ the Winnebagoes ceded to the United 



INDIAN UPRISINGS 45 

States their claims to the lead region be- 
tween the Wisconsin and Rock rivers and 
thus relieved the people of that country of 
a restless and dangerous tribe. 

Another Indian disturbance broke out 
in Illinois in 1831. It was the prelude to the 
Black Hawk War in which Henry Dodge, 
who since 1827 had not forsaken the peaceful 
pursuits of lead mining and smelting, was to 
win fame and glory in the battles of Peca- 
tonica, Wisconsin Heights, and Bad Axe as 
the '' captain of an aggressive civilization". 
And it is in this preliminary disturbance 
that the chief actor in the dramatic episode 
of 1832, known as the Black Hawk War, 
prepares his role. 

The restless Black Hawk (Black Spar- 
row Hawk or Makataimeshekiakiak) was 
the leader of the Sac (or Sauk) village at 
the mouth of the Rock River near the pres- 
ent site of Rock Island. Born in 1767 he had 
been a warrior from his youth, had been in 
the service of the British in the War of 1812, 
and had been aid-de-camp to the great Te- 
cumseh. After the close of that war he had 
never joined in making peace with the 
United States ; but he and his band had kept 
up their connection with Canada. "^^ 



46 HENRY DODGE 

Black Hawk's entire village was included 
in the territory ceded by the Sacs and Foxes 
in the treaty of November 3, 1804/^ The 
validity of this treaty was denied by Black 
Hawk, although it had been ratified and con- 
firmed in the subsequent treaty of May 13, 
1816,^*^ to which Black Hawk's mark stands 
affixed. The treaty of August 19, 1825,'^ had 
likewise recognized the binding force of 
these compacts. 

By the spring of 1831 the whites were al- 
ready in possession of the country surround- 
ing Black Hawk's village and were even in- 
vading the village itself. With about three 
hundred warriors, together with their women 
and children, Black Hawk now recrossed 
the Mississippi from the west, determined to 
regain the possession of the home of his peo- 
ple and the resting place of their ancestors. 
"He ordered the white settlers away, threw 
down their fences, unroofed their houses, cut 
up their grain, drove off and killed their cat- 
tle, and threatened the people with death if 
they remained. The settlers made their 
complaints to Governor Reynolds. The acts 
of the Indians w^ere considered by the Gov- 
ernor to be an invasion of the State. ' ' ' ^ 

The cry of war was raised, and by June 



INDIAN UPRISINGS 47 

lOtli as many as fifteen hundred volunteers 
had rushed to BeardstowTi on the Illinois 
River and were prepared to march to the 
seat of war. When the volunteers reached 
the site of Black Hawk's village they found 
that the enemy had fled that morning to the 
west side of the Mississippi River. The sol- 
diers set fire to the wigwams, and thus per- 
ished forever an ancient village which had 
been the pleasant abode of thousands of In- 
dians. 

General Edmund P. Gaines, commanding 
the volunteers, had thi-eatened to pursue 
the fleeing Indians, and Black Hawk and 
his braves now returned to sue for peace. A 
treaty was signed on June 30, 1831, by Major 
General Gaines, Governor John Reynolds, 
and the chiefs and braves of the Sacs, or 
"British Band of Rock River", whereby the 
latter recognized former treaties and agreed 
to remain forever on the west side of the 
Mississippi River. '^^ 

"The Sauks were as completely hmn- 
bled", remarked Major General Gaines, "as 
if they had been chastised in battle, and less 
disposed to disturb the frontier inhabit- 
ants. "^° But in this he was mistaken, since 
the treaty only shifted the principal theatre 



48 HENRY DODGE 

of operations for the Black Hawk War 
nearer to the region where Atkinson and 
Dodge had pursued the Winnebagoes four 
years before. 



V 

The Black Hawk: War®^ 

The Black Hawk War was an Indian War 
in northern Illinois and in the southern part 
of what is now the State of Wisconsin and 
was carried on between April 6th and August 
2, 1832. It engaged on the one side from five 
hundred to eight hundred Sacs and Winne- 
bagoes commanded by Black Hawk and the 
Prophet Neapope and on the other about 
four thousand regulars, militiamen, and vol- 
unteers officered by such men as Henry At- 
kinson, Milton K. Alexander, Alexander 
Posey, James D. Henry, and Henry Dodge. 
The principal engagements are known as 
Stillman's Defeat, and the battles of Peca- 
tonica, Wisconsin Heights, and Bad Axe. 
The causes of this war have been indicated 
in the 'preceding chapter. 

For several months after the treaty of 
June, 1831, Black Hawk had nursed his 
wrath against the whites while he was win- 
tering near Fort Madison with his British 

4 49 



50 HENRY DODGE 

band of Sacs. On the 6tli of April, 1832, 
they crossed the Mississippi River at Yellow 
Banks and invaded the Commonwealth of 
Illinois.^- The die was cast. 

It was not, however, until a week later 
that Brigadier General Atkinson, then com- 
manding the Western Department, learned 
of the invasion and informed Governor John 
Reynolds.^^ The latter at once issued a flam- 
ing proclamation directing that the militia 
be assembled at Beardstown on the 22nd of 
April.^* It appears that Atkinson was send- 
ing troops, arms, ammunition, boats, stores, 
and camp equipage from St. Louis. He also 
dispatched messengers to Black Hawk 
threatening him with expulsion by force of 
arms if he did not at once withdraw to the 
country west of the Mississippi River. 

Meanwhile Black Hawk's band was mov- 
ing up the Rock River. The militia, march- 
ing on April 27th from Beardstown to Yel- 
low Banks, began the pursuit of Black 
Hawk early in May. On May 12th Dixon's 
Ferry was reached. Here they found Major 
Isaiah Stillman with a battalion of two 
hundred and seventy-five men awaiting the 
force from BeardstowTi under Brigadier 
General Samuel Whiteside.^ ^ Piu*suant to 



i 



THE BLACK HAWK WAR 51 

Stillman's wishes this battalion was ordered 
*Ho proceed without delay to the head of 
Old Man's Creek, where it is supposed 
there are some hostile Indians and coerce 
them into submission."^*' 

On the 14th of May these raw, undisci- 
plined, and insubordinate troops, more or 
less filled with frolic and fermented liquor, 
encountered the enemy. For the whites the 
battle was a prototype of the battle of Bull 
Run. The disastrous rout resulted in the 
death of eleven whites and thi'ee Indians, 
besides the wounding of many more on both 
sides.^^ For the Americans, Stillman's De- 
feat (or Stillman's Run) remained the most 
disastrous encounter of the Black Hawk 
War. 

This event inaugurated a reign of terror 
in the region between the Illinois and the 
Wisconsin rivers. The newspapers teem 
with florid descriptions of the war. To 
Arms! To Arms! Blood and Carnage 
Mark Black Hawk's Path! Thus read 
the headlines of bold faced type. The gov- 
ernment is criticized for not providing 
proper protection. Racy reports of Indian 
attacks, movements of troops, and the valor 
of commanders follow: while the effects of 



52 HENRY DODGE 

the war upon mining and farming are ex- 
pressed in bitter lamentations.^^ 

Henry Dodge at this time held the com- 
mission of Colonel in the militia of Iowa 
County of Michigan Territory. On April 
25th Brigadier General Henry Atkinson had 
directed him to raise as many mounted men 
as could be found in that county. This was 
done.^^ The wave of fear and excitement 
had by this time reached the mining region 
where Dodge lived, and on May 8th he wrote 
a letter to Governor John Reynolds.^*^ In 
this communication he indicated the exposed 
situation of the miners and expressed his 
fear of a general union and uprising of the 
Indian tribes. "Could you detach a part of 
vour command across the Rock River," he 
suggested, "you would afford our settle- 
ments immediate protection. ' ' 

About this time Colonel Dodge with twen- 
ty-seven mounted men (including his son 
Augustus Caesar) started (on the 8th or 9th 
of May) on a reconnoitering expedition to 
the Rock River to ascertain the movements 
of Black Hawk 's band. Proceeding by way 
of Apple River to Bui^alo Grove they came 
within a few miles of where Stillman had 
been routed a few hours before.^ ^ "Gen. 



I 



THE BLACK HAWK WAR 53 

Dodge with a Spartan band of about 30 
miners", noted Tlie Galenian, '^arrived at 
the ferry [Dixon's] last Monday [May 14], 
in time to join the other troops. "^^ 

Learning that Governor Reynolds could 
spare no troops and that the mining region 
was in imminent danger of Indian attack 
Colonel Dodge inunediately returned home. 
He reported his fears to the miners and ad- 
vised them "to fort" themselves and to or- 
ganize immediately to defend their lives and 
property. Horses were given, purchased, 
and impressed for the service. Colonel 
Dodge's smelting works near Dodgeville 
were given the name of Fort Union and be- 
came his headquarters. ''Fathers were fre- 
quently called upon to defend their own 
thresliholds", said his son fiftv-one vears 
later. ''And mothers and sisters moulded 
bullets, and carried water, filling barrels in 
order to have a supply during the antici- 
pated siege. My mother and sisters have 
done both."^^ 

With fifty mounted volunteers command- 
ed by Captains James H. Gentry and John 
H. Roundtree, Colonel Dodge now proceeded 
to the Four Lakes (near the present site of 
Madison). His trusted friend, Henry Gra- 



54 HENRY DODGE 

tiot, sub-agent of the Winnebagoes, accom- 
panied Mm. They intended to meet the 
Winnebagoes and to dissuade them from 
joining Black Hawk's band. The talk was 
given them on May 25th.^^ Dodge referred 
to the murderous course of Black Hawk, and 
declared that the great American father was 
the friend of the Red Skins. ''The Sacs 
have given you bad coimcil, they tell you lies 
and no truth ; stop your ears to their words." 
If you are unfaithful to your treaties, 
warned Dodge, you must expect to share the 
fate of the Sacs. The Indians gave assur- 
ances of peace and friendship. 

Returning to his headquarters Colonel 
Dodge learned of new Indian depredations. 
On May 20th near Ottawa, Illinois, Sylvia 
and Rachel Hall had been abducted; and 
about the same time fifteen persons were 
killed and scalped.^^ Dodge immediately 
raised a force of two hundred mounted men 
and secured the release of the prisoners from 
a party of friendly Winnebagoes to whom 
they had been surrendered. 

A few days later five men (including Felix 
St. Vrain, the Indian Agent of the Sacs and 
Foxes) were killed and scalped near Buf- 
falo Grove.^*' Early in June the volunteers 



THE BLACK HAWK WAR 55 

under Colonel Dodge were again on the 
march, and in turn they passed through Blue 
Mound Fort, Colonel James Morrison's 
farm, Gratiot's Grove, and Defiance.*^^ They 
were a dare-devil, adventurous set of men 
gathered from the fields and mines. They 
knew no manual of arms but were spurred 
on by a deep hatred of the red race. 

Arriving at Kirker's Place, in Jo Daviess 
County, the Colonel delivered a stirring ad- 
dress to his volunteers. He plead for har- 
mony, union, and coolness in the presence of 
danger. The Indians were denounced as a 
faithless band of banditti who had violated 
all treaties. ''Let us avoid surprise and 
ambuscades ; let every volunteer lie with his 
arms in his hands, ready prepared for 
action, so that when each volunteer rises to 
his feet, the line of battle will be formed."^® 

On the same afternoon they reached the 
scene of the murder of St. Vrain, whose re- 
mains they interred. The next night they 
encamped at Hickory Point, where five of 
their horses were stolen by the Indians. At 
Ottawa on June 11th he had a conference 
with Brigadier General Atkinson at which 
the whole future campaign was mapped out. 
Two days later the command again reached 



56 HENRY DODGE 

Gratiot ^s Grove, worn and exhausted by 
more than a week's strenuous marching. 
There the volunteers were dispersed to their 
respective forts to rest and recuperate and 
to await the Colonel's further orders.^^ 

Mounted volunteers were arriving daily at 
Atkinson's headquarters. ''I am con- 
vinced", writes Colonel Dodge from Gra- 
tiot's Grove on June 14, 1832, "that we are 
not to have peace with this banditti collec- 
tion of Indians until they are killed up in 
their dens. They watch from the high 
points of timber our movements in daylight, 
and at night pass through the prairies from 
one point of timber to another, and com- 
municate with the main body, which are in 
the swamps of Rock River. "^^^"^ 

The condition of the country at this time 
was deplorable. Fields were half plowed 
and deserted; houses had been vacated; 
mechanics, farmers, smelters, and miners 
had forsaken their places of business and 
were now huddled in the forts; cattle were 
running at large ; the mails had stopped ; and 
there were grave rumors of a possible 
famine.^^^ 

When Colonel Dodge reached his home at 
Fort Union he heard of the mui'der (on 



THE BLACK HAWK WAR 57 

June 14tli) of four men near Spafford's 
Ford, in what is now the southeastern part 
of La Fayette County, Wisconsin/*^^ Early 
in the morning of the 16th Dodge hurried to 
Fort Hamilton, where a force was to be col- 
lected to pursue the murderers. Upon his 
arrival at the fort Colonel Dodge at once 
ordered his men to saddle, mount, form in 
line, and follow the trail. 

Here began a two-mile chase. Forming as 
large a front as possible they soon found the 
trail in the open ground. Two streams had 
to be crossed, whose steep banks forced the 
pursuers to dismount for a minute — a delay 
which again gave the Indians a start. The 
volunteers were gaining rapidly and the 
Indians now sought refuge in a horse-shoe 
shaped bend of the Pecatonica River. This 
was a low swampy bottom surrounded by the 
steep bank of the river. 

No description can excel the exciting re- 
port of the battle written by Colonel 
Dodge'^^ to Brigadier General Atkinson: 
"After crossing the Pecotonica, in the open 
ground, I dismounted my command, linked 
my horses, and left four men in charge of 
them, and sent four men in different direc- 
tions to watch the movements of the Indians, 



58 HENRY DODGE 

if tliey should attempt to swim the Pecato- 
nica; they were placed on high points that 
would give them a complete view of the ene- 
my, should they attempt to retreat. I 
formed my men on foot at open order, and at 
trailed arms, and we proceeded through the 
swamp to some timber and undergrowth, 
where I expected to find the enemy. When I 
found their trail, I knew they were close at 
hand ; they had got close to the edge of the 
lake, where the bank was about six feet high, 
which was a complete breastwork for them. 
They commenced the fire, when three of my 
men fell, two dangerously wounded, one se- 
verely but not dangerously. I instantly or- 
dered a charge on them, made by eighteen 
men, which was promptly obeyed ; the Indi- 
ans being under the bank, our guns were 
brought within ten or fifteen feet of them 
before we could fire on them. Their party 
consisted of thirteen men ; eleven were killed 
on the spot, and the remaining two were 
killed in crossing the lake, so that they were 
left without one to carry the news to their 
friends. The volunteers under my command 
behaved with great gallantry; it woidd be 
impossible for me to discriminate among 
them; at the word 'charge' the men rushed 



THE BLACK HAWK WAR 59 

forward and literally shot the Indians to 
pieces. We were, Indians and whites on a 
piece of ground not to exceed sixty feet 
square. ' ' 

This sharp but bloody engagement fought 
on June 16, 1832, and called the Battle of the 
Pecatonica or the Battle of Horse Shoe 
Bend, was the first decisive victory of the 
war. It revived some confidence in the army 
which had been criticised and ridiculed and 
brought some relief to the frontier settle- 
ments. ' ' This little action ' ', wrote Governor 
Thomas Ford, ^^will equal any for courage, 
brilliancy and success, in the whole history 
of Indian wars. ' '^"^ 

Thus far the principal theatre of war had 
been in the State of Illinois and Black Hawk 
was as far from being captured as ever. 
Weeks and weeks had been wasted in fruit- 
less marches, and but little glory had come 
to the American arms. But a new plan of 
campaign was decided upon late in June; 
and on the 30th Black Hawk and his follow- 
ers crossed the border line into Michigan 
Territory near the site of the present city of 
Beloit, Wisconsin.^^^ 

After the Battle of the Pecatonica Colonel 
Dodge had spent some time at Galena,^^^ 



60 HENRY DODGE 

where lie looked after supplies for destitute 
families. From there with a company of 
volunteers he marched to Blue Mounds to 
bury the bodies of Lieutenant George Force 
and Emerson Green, whom the Indians had 
slain on the 20th of June/*^"^ About a week 
later his forces assembled at Fort Hamil- 
ton/«« 

On the 28th of June the whole army to the 
number of about four thousand men set out 
in pursuit of Black Hawk and his fleeing 
braves. Colonel Dodge and Brigadier Gen- 
eral Posey formed the left wing of the army 
on the west side of the Rock River ; Alexan- 
der 's command, also on the west side, formed 
the center; while the brigades of Atkinson 
and Henry on the east bank formed the right 
wing.^°^ For over three weeks the chase 
continued in long and weary marches. 
Through the heat and rains of the July 
month it led across rivers, through swamps 
and tangled forests in the southern portion 
of the present State of Wisconsin. 

Atkinson was becoming short of provi- 
sions, and the campaign looked dismal in 
every respect. On the 10th of July the com- 
mands under Henry, Alexander, and Dodge 
were dispatched to Fort Winnebago about 



THE BLACK HAWK WAR 61 

eighty miles to the northwest. Here they 
were to secure provisions and return with all 
possible haste. Their orders allowed them 
to follow the Indian trail in case they should 
find it.^^*^ 

Colonel Dodge was the first to reach the 
fort where two days were spent in getting 
provisions. Hearing that Black Hawk was 
encamped farther up the Rock River the 
three commanders held a coimcil, and it was 
decided that Alexander should return to 
Atkinson while Dodge and Henry should 
march against the enem}^ On the 15th the 
march began and on the third day they 
reached the Hutisford Rapids in Dodge 
County, where Black Hawk had camped, 
only to discover that the wily enemy had 
flown. 

Meanwhile an express^ ^^ had been sent to 
Atkinson which, after proceeding a few 
miles, found a fresh trail and immediately 
returned and reported the discovery. At 
once the camp was aglow with excitement 
and on the morning of the 20th of July the 
chase by Henry and Dodge began. On that 
day a large body of Indians was discovered 
by the scouts, and for thirty miles a running 
fire was kept up during the whole day. Late 



62 HENRY DODGE 

in the afternoon the immediate commands 
under Colonels Henry Dodge and L. D. 
Ewing overtook the Indians at the bluffs of 
the Wisconsin River. 

^'A line of battle was immediately 
formed," wrote a participant the next 
day/^- "and the Indians repulsed. About 
sunset they returned, re-inforced, and 
made a most desperate effort to break our 
lines. But our men stood firmly, and com- 
pelled the enemy to retreat. They then took 
possession of a ravine, where the grass was 
so high as to conceal them. As soon as their 
position was ascertained, the order 'charge' 
was given, and executed with such prompti- 
tude and effect, as again to compel them to 
retire from their strong hold." 

The battle lasted for about an hour. ' ' The 
heads of the Indians above the grass," con- 
tinues this report, "resembled stumps in a 
neivly cleared forest. We killed three In- 
dians in the pursuit, and we suppose, not 
less than forty in the battle. I am very hap- 
py to state that we lost but one killed, and 
eight wounded." This decisive engagement 
is known as the Battle of Wisconsin Heights. 

Weary and worn from the long chase, the 
victors waited for reinforcements. The 



THE BLACK HAWK WAR 63 

Indians liaci crossed the Wisconsin River 
and had disappeared; but the pursuit was 
continued. The trail of Black Hawk's band 
was marked by the bodies of braves who had 
died of wounds or of disease. On July 31, 
1832, the freshness of the trail indicated the 
immediate presence of the enemy. On 
August 2nd Black Hawk's band of braves 
was found near the mouth of the Bad Axe on 
the Mississippi River, about forty-five miles 
above Prairie du Chien. 

Brigadier General Atkinson, whose forces 
had joined in the main pursuit at Blue 
Mounds on the 23rd,"^ promptly arranged 
the order of battle. The regular troops un- 
der Colonel Zachary Taylor and Colonel 
Dodge's troops composed the front; the 
Illinois militia under Posey and Alexander 
formed the right; while Henry's brigade of 
about four hundred men composed the left. 
A steep bluff was descended by the advance, 
and the battle took place upon a grassy and 
heavily wooded bottom. 

Here were collected Black Hawk's men, 
women, and children to make a final desper- 
ate stand against the whites. "Led on by 
Black Hawk, they came furiously upon the 
soldiers, by whom they were met with a most 



64 HENRY DODGE 

destructive fire, driving tliem back again; 
and a third time they rallied, bringing into 
action every Indian supplied with means for 
offensive operations ; but the unerring rifles 
of the volunteers, and the volleys from the 
regulars, soon thinned their ranks, and they 
were driven back again in disorder, and so 
disheartened as not to be again rallied. "^^^ 

For three hom's the battle raged while the 
Indians were driven from one hiding place 
to another. "The whole of the troops", ran 
Atkinson's report of the next day, as writ- 
ten by Albert Sidney Johnston, ' ' participated 
in the honour of the combat; some of the 
corps were, however, more fortunate than 
others, in being thro\vn from their position 
in order of battle, more immediately in con- 
flict with the enemy. These were Henry's 
brigade. Dodge's battalion, the regular 
troops. Leach's [Samuel Leech] regiment of 
Posey's brigade and the Spy battalion of 
Alexander's brigade. "^^^ 

Upwards of one hundred and fifty of the 
Indians were slain, while the whites suffered 
a loss of twenty-nine killed and wounded. 
The loss to Dodge's battalion was six wound- 
ed of whom three died of their injm^ies. This 
bloody encounter, knoAvn as the Battle of 



THE BLACK HAWK WAR 65 



Bad Axe, terminated the war and led to the 
capture of Black Hawk/^^ 

After the battle Colonel Dodge with his 
command proceeded to Fort Crawford at 
Prairie du Chien where Atkinson ran out to 
meet him, threw his arms around him, and 
exclaimed: "You have led me on to victory 
— you have saved me ! " The story rims that 
Old Hickory had sent w^arning to Atkinson 
that ''If he did not put an end to the war in 
a few days, he would strike his name from 
the roll of the United States Army." "^ 

Thus closed the last of the Indian wars of 
Illinois and Wisconsin, which still remains 
one of the most memorable in the history of 
the West. The loss of life to the Americans 
was about two hundred and fifty; while the 
cost in money to the General Government 
and to the State of Illinois was nearly two 
millions of dollars.^^^ 

Then, too, the Black Hawk War hastened 
and swelled the stream of migration to what 
is now northern Illinois and southern Wis- 
consin. Much of these regions had up to this 
time been a ''Dark Continent"; but the 
troops marching through these wilds wrote 
a mass of letters, reports, and news items 
which were descriptive of the scenery and 



66 HENRY DODGE 

the natural resources. These were widely 
copied. Dr. Addison Philleo's war news ap- 
peared first in his paper, Tlie Galenian, and 
from this it was copied broadcast over the 
State.^^^ In its advertising features, then, 
the Black Hawk War can well be considered 
as an event which helped to blaze the way 
to western settlement. 

Dm^ing this war Colonel Dodge's com- 
mand, designated "Iowa County Regiment, 
Michigan Volunteers", was composed of 
eighteen different companies whose terms of 
service ranged variously between the dates 
of May 2nd and October 9, 1832.^^" Colonel 
Dodge contributed perseverance, courage, 
knowledge of Indian character, and unflag- 
ging industry to the war. In this respect he 
stands in marked contrast to some of the 
politician-soldiers who tried to extract from 
the war undeserved glory and unearned 
fame which they hoped later to parade upon 
the hustings. To Colonel Dodge the war un- 
questionably brought a well-deserved dis- 
tinction, besides subsequent military and of- 
ficial honors ; and to the people of Wisconsin 
the record of his services will ever remain 
a patriotic memorial. 



VI 

Major of Mounted Rangers 

''For the defense of the frontier", reads the 
congressional act of June 15, 1832, which 
created the battalion of Mounted Kangers/^^ ^ ^ 
A commission bearing the bold signature of 
Andrew Jackson had, on June 22, 1832, cre- 
ated Henry Dodge the Major of this force of 
six companies. For about one year this 
battalion ranged the frontier, and its opera- 
tions furnish another chapter to the military 
record of the victor of the battle of Horse 
Shoe Bend. 

The necessity for such a force of ''Rough 
Riders" had been strongly urged in Con- 
gress; petitions and memorials had come 
from the frontier; recent distress and 
bloodshed from Indian outbreaks were still 
fresh in the public mind; private citizens 
had left their business and their families to 
defend their homes ; infantry could not cope 
with the mounted troops ; and the presence 
of such a force would serve as a preventive 

67 



68 HENRY DODGE 

of fui'ther outbreaks. Finally, the cost of 
the force would be more than compensated 
for when Indian dangers and hostilities 
would be prevented, crops saved, and the ex- 
penses of calling out the militia would be 
unnecessary. 

The "frontier" then comprised a vast 
area in the Mississippi Valley. The military 
posts were few, small, and too widely sepa- 
rated to offer protection and defense. At the 
Portage in Michigan Territory was Fort 
Winnebago, containing a garrison of about 
one hundred and fifty men commanded by 
Lieutenant Colonel Cutler. Fort Dearborn 
was garrisoned by about one hundred men 
under Major Whistler. On the Upper Mis- 
sissippi it appears that Fort Snelling held 
a garrison of one hundred and forty-two; 
Fort Crawford had a force of one hundred 
and ninety-four men under Zachary Taylor ; 
and about sixty troops were at Fort Arm- 
strong. In the far southwest Colonel Ar- 
buckle held a force of about five hundred 
men at Fort Gibson in Arkansas Territory ; 
and about one hundred and fifty men under 
Major Riley held Fort Leavenworth.^-- 

A total expense of $297,530.50 was con- 
sidered necessary to maintain this force of 



MAJOR OF MOUNTED RANGERS 69 

about six hundred and sixty Mounted 

Rangers for one year. Major Dodge's pay 

and emoluments were to be $1456 per an- 

nimi ; each Captain was to receive $1255 per 

annmn ; a total of $219,000 was estimated for 

the privates; while the subsistence for one 

year at twelve and one-half cents per ration 

for the non-commissioned officers and pri- , . «.. 

vates made another figure of $30,112.50/^^ / '■' •'' ^ ^ Vi";^ 

Five companies were immediately organ- 
ized, but the organization of the sixth was 
delayed until later in the siunmer. A Rang- 
ers ' camp was established a few miles below 
Rock Island, near the mouth of the Rock 
River. The cholera, which had been raging 
for some time in various sections of the 
country, suddenly made its appearance in 
the Rangers' camp. On August 28th a 
Ranger of Captain Lemuel Ford's company 
died of the disease. Like many of the sol- 
diers the dead Ranger was given to intoxi- 
cation, and Major General Winfield Scott 
sternly denounced intemperance which he 
declared generated and spread the epidemic. 

''Every soldier or Ranger," commanded 
Major General Scott, "who shall be found 
drunk or sensibly intoxicated, after the pub- 
lication of this order, [shall] be compelled. 



70 HENRY DODGE 

as soon as his strength will permit, to dig 
a grave at a suitable burying place, large 
enough for his own reception, as such grave 
cannot fail soon to be wanted for the drunk- 
en man himself, or some drunken compan- 
ion."^^^ Several weeks passed before the 
disease passed over. Thirteen unlucky 
Rangers had fallen victims to the plague and 
without coffins lay buried on the banks of 
Rock River/"^ 

On September 3, 1832, an order was issued 
for the disposition of the Rangers on the 
frontier. The companies of Captains James 
D. Henry, Benjamin V. Beekes, and Jesse 
B. BrowTie were assigned to the northwest- 
ern frontier between the Wabash, Chicago, 
Fort Winnebago, and the mouth of the Wis- 
consin River. They were to range under the 
immediate instructions of Major Dodge and 
through him were to report to the eastern 
division of the military department. He 
was further instructed to go to such places 
where grain could be procured for the 
Rangers' horses. 

The other three companies were to serve 
under the western division of the army. 
Under Major Dodge's instructions the com- 
panies of Captains Nathan Boone and Lem- 



MAJOR OF MOUNTED RANGERS 71 

uel Ford were ordered to Fort Gibson on the 
Arkansas River, to range on the southwest- 
ern frontier. Captain Jesse Bean's company 
had ah^eady received orders from Washing- 
ton to repair to Fort Gibson. ^^® 

Two Indian treaties were witnessed by 
Major Dodge in September, 1832. The fii'st, 
held on the present site of Rock Island on 
the 15th, was made by General Scott and 
Governor John Reynolds. Thirty-nine In- 
dians and twenty-nine whites, among whom 
was Major Dodge, signed this treaty where- 
by the Winnebago nation ceded to the 
United States the land lying to the south and 
east of the Wisconsin River and the Fox 
River of Green Bay.^-' 

Still more notable was the treaty signed 
six days later on the present site of Daven- 
port.^"^^ This was the famous ''Black Hawk 
Purchase" treaty. Little did Major Dodge 
realize the transcendent importance of this 
treaty when he signed it as a witness. A 
strip along the west side of the Mississippi 
River, containing a])out 6,000,000 acres, was 
to be opened to settlement on June 1, 1833. 
No one dreamed that in four years this area 
would contain an enterprising population 
demanding civil government and laws which 



72 HENRY DODGE 

Henry Dodge was to be the foremost to in- 
augurate. 

Major Dodge's order No. 9, of September 
23, 1832/^^ instructed Captain Browne to 
take Ms company into winter quarters near 
Danville, Illinois. Corn, forage, and fuel 
were to be secured; but private rights of 
citizens were not to be invaded. ' ' Gambling 
and Drinking to intoxication is prohibited", 
reads the order. ''The Capt. commanding 
will order Court Martials for the trial of 
those found intoxicated, and punish them 
without delay as well as to prevent Gambling 
in his Camp." Monthly reports as to the 
strength, condition, the arms, the ammimi- 
tion, and the provisions of the company 
were to be sent by Captain Browne to Major 
Dodge at Mineral Point in Michigan Terri- 
tory. On the same day Major Dodge gave 
instructions to Captains Boone and Ford to 
go by the nearest practicable route to Fort 
Gibson. 

Governor John Reynolds in October, 
1832, informed Major Dodge that the 
Pottawattamie Indians had assumed an im- 
posing and threatening attitude on the Illi- 
nois frontier. From Vandalia, Illinois, 
Major Dodge then ordered Captain Browne 



MAJOR OF MOUNTED RANGERS 73 

to range the northern frontier. "You will 
order the Pottawattamies out of the settle- 
ments of the whites and drive them out of 
the range of the settlements, if they refuse 
to go. . . . You are not to make an at- 
tack on the Pottawattamies unless they 
should make an attack on the Frontiers 
should they however shed a Drop of white 
Blood you will not hesitate to kill the of- 
fenders their aiders and abettors ".^^® 

Winter had now come on and the routine 
of camp duties took the place of marches on 
the frontier. Captain Matthew Duncan had 
succeeded Captain Henry, and in March he 
was ordered to escort some caravans bound 
for Santa Fe and to guard them against the 
attacks of hostile Indians. This left but two 
companies upon the northwestern fron- 

^^gp 131 

Vague rumors of threatened attacks by 
the Pottawattamies and Winnebagoes be- 
gan to alarm the frontier settlers of Illinois 
again in the spring of 1833. Major Dodge 
was prompt in his efforts to quiet the public 
mind, and on April 3rd he sent orders to 
Captains Browne and Beekes to march to 
Hennepin on the Illinois River and to hold 
themselves in readiness.^^^ ''I will advise 



74 HENRY DODGE 

the people of the mining Country, to form 
themselves into mounted Companies", re- 
ported Dodge from Dixon's Ferry to Brig- 
adier General Atkinson/^^ To Major Gen- 
eral Macomb he wrote: "I consider it im- 
portant to the future growth of this country 
that the Winnebagoes should be forced to 
leave the country they have ceded to the U. 
S., and that there should be a separation of 
the Winnebagoes and the Pottawattamies. 
Such is the dislike of the people of the 
frontier generally of these two nations, 
. . . .that war must be the inevitable result 
unless they are all removed. "^^* 

While directing the movements of the 
Rangers, Major Dodge was arranging for a 
meeting with the Winnebago chiefs. The 
conference was held on the 29th of April, 
1833, at the Four Lakes. White Crow, 
Whirling Thunder, and other chiefs were 
present, and Pierre Pauquette interpreted 
Dodge's speech to them. Nothing definite 
seems to have resulted from this meeting, 
and in reporting it to Atkinson Dodge de- 
clared that * ' The Winnebagoes are the most 
difficult Indians to understand I have ever 
been acquainted with." 

Major Dodge's watchful movements had 



MAJOR OF MOUNTED RANGERS 75 

gained the approval of Major General At- 
kinson. On May 24, 1833, he was ordered to 
make a demand upon the Winnebago chief 
for the surrender of the eight Indian prison- 
ers who had escaped the previous fall. They 
were the Indians who had murdered the ill- 
fated Felix St. Vrain and others at Kel- 
logg 's Grove in the previous June.^^^ 

Pauquette, the interpreter, and John H. 
Kinzie, the sub-agent for the Winnebagoes, 
accompanied Dodge in quest of the prison- 
ers. Leaving Dodgeville on June 9th, 
Major Dodge arrived at the Rangers' camp 
near the Four Lakes on the next day. Four 
days later he reached Fort Winnebago, 
where Kinzie arrived a day later with 
$20,000 annuity money for the Winneba- 
goes. ''I waited on Mr. Kinzie", reported 
Major Dodge to Atkinson, ''and sent for Mr. 
Pauquette the Interpreter and had a Con- 
fidential Conference with them on the sub- 
ject of the removal of the Winnebagoes 
.... as well as the necessity of a prompt de- 
livery of the Eight Murderers who made 
their escape from Fort Winnebago Last 
fall and that a refusal on the part of the 
Indians to remove from the Ceded Lands 
would oblidge me to march with the Mounted 



76 HENRY DODGE 

Rangers to drive them across the Wisconsin 
River and that it might be necessary for me 
to call on the Government for aid should it 
become necessary to do so the chiefs would 
be in Danger of being taken and held as 
Hostages untill the murderers were de- 
livered up, to be dealt with according to the 
Laws of the Country"/^^ 

A stern '^talk" was soon afterwards de- 
livered to the Winnebago chiefs by Major 
Dodge who reminded them of the ninth ar- 
ticle of the treaty made at Rock Island on 
September 15, 1832. Under this stipulation 
they had agreed to deliver up the eight fugi- 
tives to some military post. *'I now dis- 
tinctly give you to understand", the chiefs 
were warned, "that if you fail to adopt 
measures for the Apprehension of the 
Fugitives that it will lead to a Stoppage of 
your annuities by the Goverment and that 
your Chiefs are liable [to] arrest and de- 
tention untill the delivery of the murder- 
ers."^" 

The surrender of the murderers, assured 
Dodge, would be viewed by the President as 
a proof of friendly disposition, and then 
"the bright Chain of Friendship will re- 
main entire & unbroken between us". The 



MAJOR OF MOUNTED RANGERS 77 

''tallv" then concluded with this dire warn- 
ing: ''Should you fail to deliver these 
murderers your road will be filled with 
thorns & the Sun will be covered with a 
Dark Cloud, which will rest over your 
Nation untill the Blood of the Innocent is 
Avenged". 

These admonitions bore fruit and the 
eight murderers were delivered to Sub- 
Agent Kinzie and lodged in the guard-house 
at Fort Winnebago. This was followed by 
the exodus of the Winnebagoes from the 
Eock Elver country across the Wisconsin 
Eiver to the north. Lieutenant Joshua W. 
Fry with fifty men had assisted at the 
removal of Whirling Thunder and his 
braves who could now again hunt and fish 
without molestation from jealous settlers 
and the watchful companies under Major 
Dodge. 

The terms of enlistment of many of the 
Eangers were expiring. On July 7, 1833, 
forty-two men of Captain Beekes's com- 
pany presented themselves before their 
Captain and demanded their discharge. 
They insisted that their term expired a year 
from the time of their enlistment — not a 
year from the date on which they were 



78 HENRY DODGE 

mustered in. Tliey then stacked their arms 
in front of the Captain's tent, mounted 
their horses, and started for Indiana. To 
Captain Beekes a furlough of sixty days 
was granted by Major Dodge.^^® 

To Captain Jesse B. Browne, Major 
Dodge gave orders to discharge the Rangers 
whose term of service had expired ; the pub- 
lic arms and property of the two companies 
were to be delivered to I. B. Brant, the 
Quartermaster at St. Louis; and Captain 
Browne was then to repair to Danville to 
await further orders. Major Dodge's final 
order is dated August 7, 1833.^-^^ A small 
detachment under Lieutenant James Cly- 
man was left to range between Dodgeville 
and the Pour Lakes and to observe the 
movements of the Winnebagoes. 

Thus ended the history of Major Dodge's 
Mounted Rangers. No battle had been 
fought and no blood had been shed; no acts 
of heroism are recorded ; and the reports of 
rifles were heard only on the drill ground. 
But the battalion of Mounted Rangers cer- 
tainly insured the peace of the northwestern 
frontiers w^iich had seen and felt the terror 
of Indian outbreaks. Then, too, with the 
moral influence of a movable force Major 



MAJOR OF MOUNTED RANGERS 79 

Dodge was able to perform the duties of 
adviser and friend among a people who with 
each generation had to look less at a rising 
and more to a setting sun. 



VII 

Colonel of the Fiest Regiment of 
Dragoons 

Nearly three years of military life and 
exploration in the far West now lay before 
Henry Dodge — years which were to bring 
to a close his long service in the profession 
of arms. As early as March 2, 1833, Presi- 
dent Jackson had approved an act "for the 
more perfect defense of the frontier "^^'^ 
whereby was created the first regiment of 
Dragoons in the army history of the United 
States. It was but another recognition of 
Henry Dodge's military services when two 
days later the President appointed him 
Colonel of this force which was to consist of 
seven hundred and forty-eight officers and 
men. 

As early as the previous December the 
proposition of the Secretary of War to con- 
vert the Mounted Rangers into a regiment 
of Dragoons had been urged in Congress: 
the cost would be less than for the Rangers 

80 



COLONEL OF DRAGOONS 81 

by $153,932 a year; the Dragoons would be 
equal in celerity of movement ; their service 
on horse and on foot would require training 
in the use of both the rifle and the sword; 
and finally, the addition of such a force 
would make much more complete the mill- 0^.^.' 
tary arm of the government/*^ .^f^'SfT^^ / '/ ,. ,' 

Jefferson Barracks, a post ten miles be- 
low St. Louis, was selected as the head- 
quarters for the regiment. Early in Marchy 
1833, orders for the enlistment of the corps 
were issued, and Colonel Dodge divided his 
time between commanding the Rangers on 
the Illinois frontier and in assisting in the 
organization of the Dragoons. During the 
spring and summer of 1833 his military 
orders were generally issued over the title 
of ''Col. U. S. Dragoons Commanding U. S. 
Rangers". 



<(' 



'I wish the Regiment to be efficient and 
useful to the country", wrote Colonel Dodge 
to the Adjutant General. "And by taking 
a part of the officers from the Regular Army 
who understand the first principles of their 
profession and uniting them with the Rang- 
ing officers who understand the woods ser- 
vice would promote the good of the service 
The sooner the determination of the Hon 



82 HENRY DODGE 

Secretary of War on this subject the better 
for the good of the service permit me to 
Call the attention of the Genl in Chief to 
the absolute necessitty of ordering the 
Cloathing and Arms intended for the use of 
the U. S. Dragoons there are four Com- 
panies at this post and Capt Siunner is 
Daily expected with an additional Company 
The recruits are all here much in want of 
their Cloathing and it is important we 
should have our anns it is expected that the 
Dragoons should be drilled at Target Shoot- 
ing, as well as to fire with precision on 
horseback. "^^^ 

Stephen W. Kearney, the Lieutenant 
Colonel of the regiment, was appointed to 
superintend the recruiting of the regiment, 
with the order '*to recruit healthy, respect- 
able men, native citizens, not under twenty, 
nor over thirty-five years of age, whose size, 
figure and early pursuits may best qualify 
them for mounted soldiers." ^^^ 

Ten companies of seventy-one men each 
were to be enlisted, and early in May troops 
began to arrive at Jefferson Barracks. 
Nearly every State in the Union was repre- 
sented in the regiment. The last company 
under Captain Edwin V. Simmer arrived 



COLONEL OF DRAGOONS 83 

from New York on September 6, 1833. 
Among the regular army officers were Major 
Richard B. Mason, Captain David Hunter, 
and Lieutenant Philip St. George Cooke. 
Among the several West Point graduates 
who had enlisted was Lieutenant Jefferson 
Davis, then a young man of twenty-five. 
Five of the Ranger captains had reenlisted 
in the Dragoons during the sunmier. Com- 
pany E under Captain David Perkins 
had been recruited from the young men of 
New York City. 

"Col. Dodge", wTites a Dragoon of Cap- 
tain Smimer's company, "is in command of 
the regiment, a man about say fifty, thick 
set, somewhat gray, a thorough backwoods- 
man, very fond of talking over his own ex- 
ploits; he was, I believe, a militia general, 
and obtained the colonelcv of this resriment 
on account of his late exertions during the 
Black Hawk war on the whole a clever man, 
but not much of a soldier. "^''^ 

A fine bodv of men were now assembled; 
but in the first drill not a few looked like 
recruits from the regiment of Jack Falstaif . 
Military uniforms had not yet arrived, and 
many of the soldiers with but one suit of 
clothes presented a threadbare appearance. 



84 HENRY DODGE 

The rawest troops furnislied a ludicrous 
scene for the men who had already been 
given a few weeks' maneuvers on the drill 
ground. The "awkward squad" did daily 
duty, and in Captain Sumner's company 
Sergeant Roberts was the only man who 
knew how to put his left foot foremost. A 
sufficient number of arms was also lacking, 
and it had been necessary to disinter old 
muskets that had lain in the arsenal since 
the war with Great Britain. 

The barracks, forming a hollow square, 
were built of hewn stone and stood on a high 
bluif overlooking the Mississippi River. 
Colonel Dodge and the other officers were 
quartered in two-story structures, while 
surrounding the drill ground were the one- 
story buildings for the soldiers. Upon the 
handsome parade ground were held the daily 
evolutions during the fall of 1833, under the 
directions of Major Mason. 

But murmurings and dissatisfaction rose 
in the months of September and October. 
Barrack rooms were without bunks, and 
even the kitchen implements had been 
bought with soldiers' money. AiTogant 
treatment from the officers stirred up ad- 
ditional complaints. Said a Dragoon : ' ' Op- 



COLONEL OF DRAGOONS 85 

pression every day growing more and more 
insupportable, the dragoons began openly 
to murmur, and the guard-house was kept 
continually filled to overflowing. Courts- 
martial were in continual session; and for 
the most trifling neglect of duty, men were 
tried and sentenced either to walk the tow- 
path all day with a bag of shot on their 
shoulders, or to confinement in the guard- 
room. "^^^ 

Desertions were almost nightly occur- 
rences, and privates, corporals, and ser- 
geants discharged themselves from the 
hardships and restraints of the barracks. 
In one case a recaptured soldier was given 
fifty lashes on his back with a cat-o'-nine- 
tails and was then sentenced to serve out his 
term of enlistment between the dreary walls 
of the guard-house. 

Other annoyances presented themselves. 
The contracts for the erection of the stables 
had not been fulfilled and so the troops 
were put upon the job. Each morning after 
drill a squad was formed and armed with 
saws, hammers, shovels, and pickaxes. This 
kindled new dissatisfaction, and whisper- 
ings of ''speculation" and "profits" passed 
current among the soldiery. Indeed, a 



86 HENRY DODGE 

Dragoon records that "some of our men 
have signified their disrelish of the work by 
not remaining to see it finished/ '^^^ 

Early in October the Dragoon horses ar- 
rived — a collection of blacks, greys, 
creams, and bays. Week after week they 
were put through drills and evolutions until 
they became quite familiar with military 
usages. On November 9, 1833, the first 
battalion parade of the mounted Dragoons 
was held about a hundred rods to the rear 
of the barracks. Major Mason was in com- 
mand, and on Sunday (the next day) they 
were reviewed by the Inspector General who 
pronounced men, horses, and equipments in 
excellent order.^^"^ 

About six hundred Dragoons had now 
been enlisted, and for months they had 
passed through the routine and regulations 
of military life at the barracks. But in 
November, 1833, in response to Colonel 
Dodge's recommendation, an order was is- 
sued to march five companies to Fort Gib- 
son. Early on the 20th of November the 
baggage-wagons were loaded with supplies, 
the bugle sounded, the companies formed, 
and Colonel Dodge for the first time as- 
sumed command and gave the orders to 



COLONEL OF DRAGOONS 87 

march. ' ' The prisoners, ' ' tells the historian 
of this march, "consisting of eighteen men 
under sentence for desertion, and other 
capital offenses, were made to walk hand- 
cuffed and chained, some with a cannon ball 
to the leg, flanked on either side by the rear 
guard. And thus commenced the Regiment 
of Dragoons their first march. "^^^ 

Not more than three or four miles were 
made in the first day's march. In the next 
two days a distance of forty-three miles was 
covered. Mountains, valleys, forests, and 
prairies were traversed in turn.^'*^ Rivers 
and creeks were forded. On the twentieth 
day Colonel Dodge's force crossed the 
boundarv line between the State of Missouri 
and Arkansas Territory. On December 17, 
1833, the regiment of Dragoons arrived at 
Fort Gibson in what is now Muskogee 
County in Oklahoma. 

"On my arrival at this place", reported 
Colonel Dodge on Christmas day, 1833, "I 
found no arrangements had been previously 
made for furnishing the Dragoons imder 
my command with Rations or Corn for 
the Horses on Consulting Col Arbuckle 
the Commg Officer of this post I thought it 
advisable to remain in the immediate vi- 



88 HENRY DODGE 

cinity of this post Col Arbuckle has made 
a purchase of Eight Thousand Bushels of 
Corn the cane is abundant the Dragoon 
Horses are in good order They will be well 
prepared for Service early in the Spring 
I am preparing my Quarters for the winter 
which will be Completed in a few days 
after their Completion I will have the 
Dragoons Drilled both on foot & Horseback 
and feel Confident they will be prepared for 
any Service required of them early in the 
Spring. "^^^ 

The first week in January, 1834, was bit- 
terly cold. Under a temperature of twelve 
degrees below zero six inches of ice froze on 
the Grand River. Navigation was stopped 
and no corn was delivered. Colonel Dodge 
was finally obliged to place the horses in the 
cane-brake where they could feed. But 
there a stampede occurred and the animals 
scattered in various sections throughout the 
country. An officer and a party of men were 
sent after the strayed animals, and it was 
with much difficulty that they were finally 
recovered.^^^ Early in February Captain 
Sumner was sent to Washington County, 
Arkansas Territory, to purchase forage and 
corn for the Dragoon horses.^ ^- 



COLONEL OF DRAGOONS 89 

Camp Jackson, the permanent quarters 
for the regiment, was laid out in a little strip 
of woods one and a quarter miles west of 
Fort Gibson. Barrack rooms of oak 
shingles were constructed, the apertures in 
the roof of which admitted freely both sun 
and rain. Here the long winter evenings 
were spent. Between retreat and tattoo 
sounds of revelry and glee could have been 
heard. Creeks, Osages, and Cherokees 
would sometimes join the soldiers in dances 
to the tunes of two or three cracked fiddles, 
which were the favorite instruments of the 
Tennesseeans. In another corner might be 
seen a card party seated around a tallow 
candle. Removed from the groups of 
amusement another Dragoon might have 
been seen reading Rohinson Crusoe or the 
Life of General Marion from the regimental 
library.^^^ 

Colonel Dodge was now expecting orders 
to proceed with the regiment through the 
extensive Indian region between the western 
boundaries of Missouri and Arkansas and 
the Rocky Mountains. On February 15, 
1834, he presented his views on the contem- 
plated expedition to Adjutant General R. 
Jones.^^^ Guides and interpreters should be 



90 HENRY DODGE 

secured. ''Twenty Osages should be pro- 
cured to accompany the expedition as Buf- 
falo Hunters to enable me to subsist my 
Command until the Dragoons Learn to 
shoot Buffaloes There are few men in this 
Command who ever saw a Buffalo and 
would be entirely unable to subsist them- 
selves By Hunting". 

Fort Leavenworth, he suggested, should 
be made the headquarters of the regiment. 
''This military post presents many ad- 
vantages [.] Steam Boats could Early in 
the Spring transport the necessary supplies 
to this place [.] Forage Can be procured 
cheap on the Frontier of the State of Mis- 
souri and protection would be afforded the 
Frontier inhabitants of this State and this 
would be the proper point to furnish the 
necessary Escort for the protection of our 
trade to the Mexican States". 

Colonel Dodge also recommended that the 
Regiment of Dragoons be divided into three 
parts. Three companies with the reserve 
infantry at Fort Gibson w^ould be sufficient 
for the protection of the far w^estern fron- 
tier. Two other divisions could be located 
at convenient points on the Mississippi 
River to make a display of force, to prevent 



COLONEL OF DRAGOONS 91 

the Indians from intruding upon the whites, 
and to prevent encroachments of the settlers 
upon Indian lands and trade. Further- 
more, such a force would aid greatly in 
maintaining peace between the powerful 
Sioux and Chippewas. 

Brigadier General Henry Leavenworth, 
who had assimied command of the left wing 
of the western department of the army, ar- 
rived at Camp Jackson in the spring of 
1834. Colonel Dodge was ordered to send an 
officer to learn whether or not a company of 
traders going from Missouri to Santa Fe 
needed an escort. ''Col. Dodge will also 
make an estimate of every thing that will be 
required by his corps to prepare them for 
their contemplated movement, and send it 
to the office of the acting assistant adjutant- 
general of this command as soon as pos- 
sible. '"^^ The duty of acting as an escort 
fell to Captain Clifton Wharton's company, 
which left Camp Jackson in May and ac- 
companied the traders to Santa Fe.^^*^ 

To maintain peace, quiet, and order in the 
army was not the least of the tasks of 
Colonel Dodge. "I find more treachery and 
deception practiced in the army than I ever 
expected to find with a Body of Men who 



92 HENRY DODGE 

Call themselves Gentlemen", he writes to a 
friend. *'My Situation is unpleasant [Jef- 
ferson] Davis who I appointed my adjt was 
among the first to take a stand against me 
Major Mason and Davis are now two of my 
most inveterate enemies the desire of these 
Gentlemen appears to be to Harass me in 
Small Matters they dont want to fight if 
Mason would say fight I would go to the field 
with him with Great pleasure and indeed 
unless Harmony and good feeling exists in 
a Corps the public Service cannot be pro- 
moted and to undertake an Expedition with 
such men I should run the risk of Losing 
what Little reputation I have acquired "/^^ 
Meanwhile the companies from Jefferson 
Barracks had been marching to Fort Gib- 
son and their arrivals at Camp Jackson were 
hailed with welcome and joy. Preparations 
for the summer campaign were in full sway. 
"Our camp is now," describes the Dragoon 
historian, "throughout the day, a constant 
scene of bustle and noise, the blacksmith 
shops are kept in continual operation, 
tailors and saddlers find constant employ- 
ment, and in fact no one has time to be idle ; 
one half the regiment are daily detailed to 
watch the horses whilst grazing upon the 



COLONEL OF DRAGOONS 93 

prairies, which is now the most severe duty 
to be performed, standing during the whole 
of the day exposed to the heat of a broiling 
Sim, which during the last week has raised 
the mercury to from 103** to 107^ in the ther- 
mometer." ^^^ 



yiii 

The Expedition to the Pawnee Pict 

VlLLAGE^-^^ 

''Forward^ march!" Responding to this 
command on June 15, 1834, nine companies 
of about five hundred men began their sum- 
mer campaign. It was an imposing caval- 
cade : the tramp of the horses on the prairie 
mingled with the commands of the officers; 
the proud and manly deportment of the 
young men indicated the buoyant hope and 
spirit of the army; a company of white 
horses made a striking contrast to another 
one of blacks; while sorrels and bays gave 
added effects of color. To the rear of the 
companies might have been seen and heard 
the lumbering movements of the baggage- 
wagons. 

About two hundred and fifty miles to the 
west of Fort Gibson lay the Pawnee Pict and 
the Camanche villages — somewhere on the 
head-waters of the Red River. These were 
the ultimate destination of Colonel Dodge 

94 



EXPEDITION TO THE PAWNEES 95 

and the Dragoons. The purpose of the cam- 
paign was to cultivate an acquaintance with 
the Camanches and the Pawnees — two ex- 
tensive roaming tribes that had not yet 
recognized the United States in any treaties. 
It was deemed indispensable to the peace 
and security of the far western frontier to 
display a respectable force in that quarter. 
The Dragoons, it was believed, would im- 
press upon the tribes the power of the 
United States and excite a deeper respect 
for the government.^"^ 

Pour bands of Indians — the Senecas, 
Osages, Cherokees, and Dela wares — joined 
the expedition to serve as hunters, guides, 
and interpreters. Two young girls, a Kiowa 
of about fifteen years and a Pawnee of about 
eighteen years, were taken with the 
Dragoons to be restored to their tribes. This 
policy it was believed would pave the way 
for friendlv intercourse.'^' George Catlin, 
the famous portrait painter of Indians, had 
been given permission to accompany the ex- 
pedition in its visit to the wild tribes along 
the Arkansas and the Red Rivers. "I start 
this morning with the dragoons for the 
Pawnee coimtry", he writes on June 19th, 
"but God only knows where that is."''^ 



96 HENRY DODGE 

Long forced marches were made during 
the warm, sultry June days. Springs and 
streams provided a bountiful supply of 
water and the prairies furnished pasturage 
for the Dragoon horses. On the 26th of 
June they passed a band of five hundred or 
six hundred Osages under the command of 
*' Black Dog", a famous warrior of that 
nation. On the next day a herd of buffalo 
was met and General Leavenworth and 
Colonel Dodge tested the mettle and speed 
of their horses. Signs of the Pawnees be- 
came more abundant. On Julv 1st forty- 
five men and three officers were reported 
sick from the excessive heat, and each day 
the command pushed on with depleted 
ranks. 

On July 4th the Dragoons were ferried 
across the Washita River. ' ' Our baggage ' ', 
relates a Dragoon of Captain Browne's 
company, "we transported by means of a 
raft constructed by canoes lashed together 
and covered with planks. We also used a 
canvass Boat covered with gum Elastick be- 
longing to Col Kearney which we found to 
answer an excellent purpose Having en- 
camped on the opposite side with our whole 
force & concluding it best to travel with as 



EXPEDITION TO THE PAWNEES 97 

little eneiunbrance as possible, Col Dodge 
selected about 250 men & horses most able 
for duty & taking only 10 days provisions 
for 20 days sustinence, set forward on a 
forced march. "^*^^ 

About one hundred and eighty miles had 
now been marched by the Dragoons, when 
early in July a reorganization of the regi- 
ment became necessary. Six companies of 
forty-two men each were to continue the 
campaign with Colonel Dodge in command. 
One hundred and nine were left for duty at 
Camp Leavenworth, together with eighty- 
six sick. Baggage-wagons were abandoned ; 
each man was furnished with ten days' ra- 
tions and eighty rounds of cartridges; and 
the march once more began. 

Day after day through the month of July 
the command continued its march over the 
rolling prairies. Now and then a stray band 
of Indians would be observed. Wild horses 
in large herds passed; and enormous herds 
of buffalo moved across the plains. Men 
and beasts were prostrated by heat and the 
strenuous campaign, while the low state of 
the provisions brought anxiety to Colonel 
Dodge. On July 14th a roving band of 
about forty Camanches entered the camp to 



98 HENRY DODGE 

beg tobacco and to talk with the Dragoon 
Colonel. From these Indians Colonel 
Dodge learned that the Camanches, Kiowas, 
and the Pawnee Picts (or Toyash) were 
friends and to some degree allies. "The 
Camanches are, we learn," runs the journal 
of this expedition, ''the largest band, the 
proudest and boldest; therefore the colonel 
has resolved to visit them first ; thence to the 
Toyash village, establish friendly under- 
standings with one or both, or war with one 
or both, as maj be ; officers and men on the 
alert, as if in the atmosphere of war."^^^ 

Colonel Dodge now pushed on and soon 
arrived at a Camanche camp of about two 
hundred skin lodges. About a hundred 
mounted Camanches, seemingly not a little 
alarmed, came to welcome the Dragoons. 
Thousands of horses were grazing about the 
Indian camp, and several of the officers pur- 
chased animals for a blanket or a butcher 
knife. Colonel Dodge waited for the 
Camanche chief, then absent on a hunting 
trip; but after more than a day's fruitless 
waiting the regiment moved on in the di- 
rection of the Toyash village. An Indian 
who had been at the Toyash camp promised 
Colonel Dodge to guide him thither. 



EXPEDITION TO THE PAWNEES 99 

By July 19tli the command had been re- 
duced to one hundred and eighty-three men. 
Seventy-five, over one-half of whom were 
sick, had been left behind. Desertions had 
also reduced the band. For a month the 
soldiers had been without a morsel of bread, 
and their appetites had become too vora- 
cious to distinguish between horse flesh and 
buffalo meat. The mirage of a waterfall 
glistening in the sunlight was discovered to 
be a mass of salt. "No buffalo", records 
Lieutenant Wheelock's journal. ''Our un- 
shod horses suffered very much to-day ; wild 
horses in abundance, and bears ; many deer 
were seen ; a few were killed ; scanty allow- 
ance of provisions for our men; we march 
too fast to be able to hunt much on the 
road; game is now divided among the com- 
mand with great care; marched in three 
columns; baggage reduced to three pack 
horses to each company." 

Across reddish granite hills, deep ravines, 
and difficult passes Colonel Dodge continued 
the toilsome and intricate route. On July 
20, 1834, they were within five miles of the 
Toyash village situated on a branch of the 
Red River. The non-appearance of the 
band convinced the Dragoons that the 



100 HENRY DODGE 

Indians had either fled or that they had de- 
termined to make a stand and fight. Bay- 
onets were fixed and every preparation for 
a conflict was made. On the next dav the 
command proceeded a mile when they were 
met by about sixty Indians, who seemed 
greatly alarmed and begged Colonel Dodge 
not to fire upon them. After several miles 
of marching along extensive and well culti- 
vated fields of squashes, pumpkins, beans, 
melons, and corn, the Dragoons reached the 
village. 

Here then was the Toyash or Pawnee 
Pict village, the main goal of this expedi- 
tion, and the object which had been the 
stimulus during five long weeks of marching. 
The village, consisting of about two hundred 
grass lodges, was situated in a rich bottom 
embedded in the immense ledges of rocks 
and mountains. Colonel Dodge encamped 
in a fine position about a mile from the vil- 
lage, and the hungry Dragoons were soon 
enjoying the Indian hospitalities. Dishes 
of corn and beans dressed with buffalo fat 
were placed before them. For dessert the 
soldiers enjoyed liberal supplies of water- 
melons and wild plums; while the savages 
gladly exchanged green corn, dried horse 



EXPEDITION TO THE PAWNEES 101 

meat, and buffalo meat for vermillion, ar- 
ticles of clothing, knives, and tobacco/^^ 

According to the previous arrangements 
of Colonel Dodge a grand council was held 
between the American officers and the chiefs 
and warriors of the Toyash nation. Bands of 
Camanches mounted upon their fleet horses 
had arrived ; Pawnee Picts and Wecos were 
present in large numbers; while the tall, 
erect, and dignified forms of the Kiowas 
represented the higher type of the Indians. 
It was a scene that well stimulated the pen 
and the brush of George Catlin. 

''We are the first American officers who 
have ever come to see the Pawnees", began 
Dodge at the first council on July 22nd. 
''We meet you as friends, not as enemies, to 
make peace with you, to shake hands with 
you. The great American captain is at peace 
with all the white men in the world; he 
wishes to be at peace with all the red men of 
the world; we have been sent here to view 
this country, and to invite you to go to Wash- 
ington, where the great American chief lives, 
to make a treaty with him, that you may 
learn how he wishes to send among you 
traders, who will bring you guns and blank- 
ets, and everything that you want." 



102 HENRY DODGE 

Colonel Dodge then referred to the mur- 
der of Judge Martin, which some Indians 
had committed on the False Washita earlier 
in the summer. The Colonel informed them 
also that he had learned from the Camanches 
that the little son of Judge Martin was being 
held as a prisoner. ' ' Give us the white boy, 
and we will give you the Pawnee girl that 
we have brought with us." Denials from 
the chiefs and repeated demands from 
Colonel Dodge were then followed by a 
gloomy silence. The accidental discharge of 
a pistol came like a thunderbolt and almost 
stirred the already over-strained feelings in 
the council to the war point. 

Finally a negro offered Colonel Dodge the 
information that the Indians were now hold- 
ing the young boy as a prisoner in the vil- 
lage. The Colonel then became still more 
stern and persistent, declaring that the coun- 
cil would stop until the boy was surrendered. 
Further consultation followed among the 
Indians, who finally sent for the young 
prisoner who had been secreted in a corn- 
field by the savages. The friend of George 
Catlin has given a graphic description of the 
entrance of the child into this strange coun- 
cil. 



EXPEDITION TO THE PAWNEES 103 

"He is a smart and very intelligent boy of 
nine years of age, and when he came in, he 
was entirely naked, as they keep their own 
boys at that age. There was a great excite- 
ment in the council when the little fellow 
was brought in; and as he passed amongst 
them, he looked around and exclaimed, with 
some surprise, 'What! are there white men 
here?' to which Colonel Dodge replied, and 
asked his name ; and he promptly answered, 
'my name is Matthew Wright Martin.' He 
was then received into Colonel Dodge's 
arms; and an order was immediately given 
for the Pawnee and Kiowa girls to be 
brought forward; they were in a few min- 
utes brought into the council-house, when 
they were at once recognized by their friends 
and relatives, who embraced them with the 
most extravagant expressions of joy and 
satisfaction. The heart of the venerable old 
chief was melted at this evidence of 
white man's friendship, and he rose upon 
his feet, and taking Colonel Dodge in his 
arms, and placing his left cheek against the 
left cheek of the Colonel, held him for some 
minutes without saying a word, whilst tears 
were flowing from his eyes. He then em- 
braced each officer in turn, in the same silent 



104 HENRY DODGE 

and affectionate manner; which form took 
half an hour or more, before it was com- 
pleted."^^'' 

Negotiations with the Indians now be- 
came easier and Colonel Dodge explained to 
them that the great American President 
desired to make a treaty with them all and 
to exchange prisoners. "Peace cannot be 
made with all the tribes till a large white 
paper be written and signed by the Presi- 
dent and the hands of the chiefs. Will youi* 
chiefs go with me now to see the American 
President?" They were also assured that 
the President would be very happy to see 
them and would make them presents of 
handsome guns, coats, etc. But objections 
and murmurings from the Indians now en- 
sued, and Colonel Dodge concluded to close 
the council and to wait for the morrow. 

We-ter-ra-shah-ro, an old chief of seventy 
years, with two other principal men met 
Colonel Dodge at his tent the next morning 
for a further "talli". The four leaders of 
the bands that had accompanied the 
Dragoons from Fort Gibson were also pres- 
ent and participated in the council. Colonel 
Dodge once more urged that a few of the 
chiefs accompany him back to Fort Gibson : 



EXPEDITION TO THE PAWNEES 105 

it was a plea for peace from a man who had 
grown gray in Indian warfare. Following 
further deliberations and consultations the 
old Chief We-ter-ra-shah-ro was the first 
to announce some willingness to go. "We 
wish much to make peace", he said "with 
the Osages; we have been long at war with 
them ; we wish to see the lands of the Creeks 
and Cherokees also, to shake hands with 
all." Then spoke Dutch, the Cherokee, a 
man of remarkable personal beauty, dar- 
ing character, and reputation for his suc- 
cessful enterprises against the Osages. He 
assured Colonel Dodge that the Cherokees 
and the whites were friends and that they 
could visit each other without fear. 

Beatte, the leader of the Osage band, then 
made a speech. He was a Frenchman who 
had spent his life among the Osages and was 
widely known as a skilled hunter. "We look 
at our friend (Colonel Dodge) as our 
father", he said. "He is a true father to 
us all. ' ' He ended by urging that the chiefs 
visit the Osages with "our father as he 
wishes." Monpisha, another Osage, indorsed 
Beatte 's speech, declaring that the Indians 
should be taught to build homes and to raise 
cattle. "Your buffalo will be gone in a few 



106 HENRY DODGE 

years", he warned. "Your great father, the 
President, will give you cattle, and teach 
you how to live without buffalo." ' 

George BuUett, the Delaware, then gave 
assurance of the friendship of his people, 
after which Colonel Dodge resumed his 
speech. He expressed his regret that some 
of the Dragoon horses had broken into some 
of the corniields, and he promised to pay for 
the damage done. "I wish you now to con- 
sider if some of you will go with me", he 
said to the chiefs on their departure. The 
chiefs then signified their intention of going 
to their lodges to select some braves who 
should accompany Colonel Dodge to Fort 
Gibson. 

Manv Camanches arrived during the day 
and visited the tent of Colonel Dodge, who 
then repeated his ''talk" given in the morn- 
ing. Ta-we-que-nah, one of the three newly 
arrived chiefs, was warm in his professions 
of friendship, and offered to exchange a 
Spanish girl for the young Kiowa girl whom 
the Dragoons had brought with them. But 
Colonel Dodge wished to secure the friend- 
ship of the Kiowas and said to the chief: "I 
mean to give her to her relations and friends 
without price; I will give the girl to her 



EXPEDITION TO THE PAWNEES 107 

tribe ; they shall see how much their friends 
we are." 

But here occurred a dramatic interrup- 
tion. Twenty or thirty mounted Kiowas 
dashed into the camp and almost into Colonel 
Dodge 's tent. These believed that the whites 
were in league with the hated Osages in 
holding the Kiowa girl as a prisoner. They 
were admirably equipped for flight or fight, 
and with their bows strung and their quivers 
filled with arrows they presented a bold and 
warlike appearance. The Dragoons looked 
to their own arms, the squaws and children 
fled in terror, and a battle seemed in pros- 
pect. Colonel Dodge, however, quickly re- 
lieved the strain, addressing them with as- 
surances of friendship and with the intima- 
tion that the Kiowa girl should be restored 
to her father and friends. A general coun- 
cil between the Camanche, Toyash, and 
Kiowa nations was to be held the next day. 
Not less than two thousand mounted and 
armed warriors surrounded the council 
where Colonel Dodge and his officers once 
more met the head men and chiefs of the 
various tribes. The Kiowas embraced 
Colonel Dodge, and savage hearts were 
moved to emotions of gratitude over the 



108 HENRY DODGE 

restoration of their relative. Tlie squaws 
with tearful eyes embraced the girl seated 
among the chiefs, at the same time shower- 
ing their blessings upon her deliverer. 

The council began and the pipe of jDeace 
was passed. There was seated a group of 
American officers in their bright uniforms 
and swords ; the savage Toyash looked at the 
arrogant and jealous Camanche; while the 
more chivalric and daring Kiowa made the 
fourth group of the council. Here bonds of 
friendship were pledged and promises of 
peace were made. Another band of sixty 
Kiowas now arrived, and when the cere- 
monies of their reception were ended 
Colonel Dodge made the formal surrender 
of the Kiowa girl. "Kiowa chiefs!", he said, 
"I herewith present to you your relation; 
receive her as the best evidence of the sin- 
cere friendship of the Americans." This 
closed the council at the Pawnee Pict village. 

On the next day the Dragoons were to 
begin their return march; and early in the 
morning the chiefs of the three tribes vis- 
ited Colonel Dodge who presented them 
with guns and pistols. Fifteen Kiowas, in- 
cluding their chief, one Camanche, three 
Pawnee chiefs, and We-ter-ra-shah-ro, the 



EXPEDITION TO THE PAWNEES 109 

old Wacoah chief, had finally consented to 
return with Colonel Dodge to Fort Gibson. 
Thus on July 25th, was begun the return 
march from the Pawnee Pict village. 

Over one hundred miles were marched in 
the first week of the return journey. "We 
are eagerly pursuing our way home ' ', writes 
the journalist of Company I, ''with our In- 
dian Ambassadors who seem remarkably 
jovial & delighted with everything they 
see[.] Nightly they amuse us with their 
wild unintelligible & unaccountable songs 
which are far from being displeasing as 
they all join in seemingly endeavoring to 
exceed each other in noise, altogether cre- 
ating a compound of the most unearthly 
discord ".^^^ 

The overpowering heat and the number of 
sick greatly retarded the speed of Colonel 
Dodge's Dragoons. By July 29th they had 
reached the buffalo range, and one or two 
deer were killed and one man killed a 
panther.^*^^ ''At twelve o'clock the cry of 
buffalo was heard," records Lieutenant 
Wheelock on the same day, "and never was 
the cheering sound of land better welcomed 
by wearied mariners, than this by our hun- 
gry colunms. The command was halted, and 



110 HENRY DODGE 

some went together; the report of Beatte's 
rifle, and the fall of a fat cow; halted at 4 
o'clock; killed two more buffaloes." 

Dodge finally decided to return at once to 
Fort Gibson instead of marching to Fort 
Leavenworth. Now and then a dav of rest 
would be ordered for the jaded horses ; not 
unfrequently men were lost in hunting the 
buffalo; prairie fires broke out; and on 
August 5th Dodge was informed of the death 
of General Leavenworth and Lieutenant 
George W. McClure on the Washita River.^^^ 
The last herd of buif alo was seen on that day, 
and "L", the chronicler of Company I 
records that "we were called upon to look 
our last look upon about 500 of these wel- 
come Prairie Companions"."^ 

It was a warm and weary command that 
thankfully retui-ned to Fort Gibson on 
August 15, 1834, after a campaign of just 
two months. The horses presented a jaded 
appearance and not more than ten were in 
good condition; many of the soldiers' uni- 
forms were tattered and torn and showed 
evidences of strenuous service. On August 
24th Colonel Kearney's command arrived, 
bringing its tired Dragoons, its litters of 
sick, and its gaunt, worn horses.^'^ 



EXPEDITION TO THE PAWNEES HI 

Unable to get the chiefs to go to Wash- 
ington, Colonel Dodge arranged for another 
grand council at Fort Gibson on September 
1, 1834. Seven or eight tribes assembled, 
and for four days the fumes of the peace- 
making caliunet drifted about the council. 
Choctaws, Cherokees, Osages, Kiowas, Sene- 
cas, Pawnees, Camanches, representing ex- 
treme types of Indian savages, met in 
friendly conclave under the protection of 
Colonel Dodge who believed that he had laid 
the foundation of lasting friendship between 
these frontier tribes/^^ 

"Perhaps their never has been in America 
a campaign that operated More Severely on 
Men & Horses", wi'ote Colonel Dodge to 
George W. Jones. "The Excessive Heat of 
the Sun exceeded any thing I ever experi- 
enced [.] I marched from Fort Gibson with 
500 Men and when I reached the Pawnee 
Pick Village I had not more than 190 Men 
fit for duty they were all left behind sick 
or were attending on the Sick the Heat of 
the Weather operated Severely on the 
Dragoon Horses there was at least 100 
Horses that was Killed or Broke down by 
the excessive Heat of the Weather the Men 
were taken with fever and I was obledged to 



112 HENRY DODGE 

Carry Some of my Men in Litters for Sev- 
eral Hundred Miles''."^ 

Thus a number of great Indian tribes 
were brought into a general peace and into 
an acquaintance with and respect for the 
United States government/^^ Besides the 
cost in money, much sickness and hardship 
had been endured and more than one hun- 
dred Dragoons had lost their lives. Warm 
praise was extended to Colonel Dodge by 
Lewis Cass, the Secretary of War;^^^ and 
George Catlin was well qualified to praise 
when he said: ''Thus was dragged through 
and completed this most disastrous cam- 
paign; and to Colonel Dodge and Colonel 
Kearney, who so indefatigably led and en- 
couraged their men through it, too much 
praise cannot be awarded. "^^^ 



IX 



The March of the Dragoons to the 
Rocky Mountains ^^^ 

Colonel Dodge's eleventh and last mount- 
ed expedition was a sixteen hundred mile 
march through the western frontiers to the 
Rocky Mountains in the summer of 1835. 
The line of march lay along the Platte and 
the Arkansas rivers and over the old Santa 
Fe trail in the region which is now embraced 
by the States of Nebraska, Colorado, and 
Kansas. Besides its exploring features, the 
expedition held various "talks" and coun- 
cils with numerous bands and tribes of In- 
dians inhabiting these regions. 

Agreeably to an order of March 9, 1835, 
the detachment of Dragoons under Colonel 
Dodge left Fort Leavenworth on the 29th 
of the next May. Company A with forty 
men was commanded by Captain Lan. P. 
Lupton; Company C of forty men was in 
charge of Captain Matthew Duncan; while 
the thirty-seven men of Company G were 

8 "3 



114 HENRY DODGE 

led by Captain Lemuel Ford. Lieutenant 
Enoch Steen was in command of two swivels. 
Lieutenant G. P. Kingsbury was the jour- 
nalist of the expedition; while Major 
Dougherty, Indian Agent, and Captain 
Gantt, an Indian trader, accompanied the 
force as interpreters and guides. The three 
companies were directed to take sixty days' 
rations of flour and ten days' rations of 
pork; while twenty-five beeves and two 
wagon-loads of flour were to be taken by the 
assistant commissary of subsistence. 

One himdred miles were traversed in a 
northwesterly direction the first week. The 
line of march lay across the reservation of 
the Kickapoos and then across the Nemaha 
River in what is now the State of Nebras- 
ka.'^^ Continuing, Colonel Dodge's com- 
mand entered the lands of the half-breed 
Otoes and Omahas. On the 7th of June a 
large herd of elk were seen, but the hunters 
were not able to approach near enough to 
shoot them. The country was a beautiful 
and fertile plain, diversified with all the ac- 
cidents of wood, creeks, and ravines. 

Two days later the command reached the 
valley of the Platte River and encamped on 
its banks only seven or eight miles from the 



MARCH TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 115 

Oto village. Jutan, the principal chief of 
this tribe, who came to meet the Dragoons, 
had been a bold and successful warrior. He 
is described by Lieutenant Kingsbury as a 
man "about fifty years of age, tall, well 
made, with a fine and intelligent cast of 
countenance." On the next day the village 
of the Otoes was reached and the Dragoons 
were given a joyous welcome.^ "^ 

Colonel Dodge (on June 11th) met the as- 
sembled chiefs and warriors at the lodge 
of Jutan, where a council was held. The 
Colonel informed the Indians that the Presi- 
dent of the United States, "your great 
father" wished them to be at peace and to 
raise corn and cattle for the support of their 
families. Deploring the sale of whiskey to 
the Otoes, he said: "All unlicensed traders 
found in your country will be taken and de- 
livered to the civil authorities, to be dealt 
with according to the laws of the country." 
After a brief reph^ by Jutan presents of 
blankets, strouding, knives, and tobacco 
were distributed among the warriors and 
chiefs. 

A week was spent here awaiting the ar- 
rival of a band of Omahas, with whom also 
Colonel Dodge wished to hold a council. 



116 HENRY DODGE 

These Indians, numbering about eighteen 
hundred, occupied the region between the 
Missouri and the Platte rivers. On the 17th 
of June about fifty of the principal chiefs 
and warriors swam the Platte River and 
arrived near the camp of the Dragoons. 
Colonel Dodge extended a welcome and then 
caused some provisions to be issued to them. 

When the Indians were assembled Colonel 
Dodge repeated the "talk" which he had 
made to the Otoes a few days before. Big 
Elk, the principal chief of the Omahas, re- 
plied in a friendly vein, but declared that 
the presents spread before them had been 
the cause of creating a great deal of evil in 
the Indian country. He w^as a man of sixty 
years, of sound practical common sense, and 
with a knowledge which convinced him that 
the Indians needed to learn some of the arts 
of civilization. 

The Pawnee village, in what is now" Ham- 
ilton County, Nebraska, was the next objec- 
tive point. For eighty miles the march con- 
tinued up the Platte River over a rich, 
alluvial, treeless plain which appeared to 
be the old bed of a river. Herds of antelope 
and deer varied the monotony of the scene. 
It was ten or fifteen miles from the village 



MARCH TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 117 

that Angry Man, the principal chief of the 
Grand Pawnees, met the Dragoons. He at 
once tried to ingratiate himself into the good 
graces of Colonel Dodge with whom he had 
a long talk. 

Arriving at the Grand Pawnee village on 
the 21st of June, 1835, the Dragoons were 
met by one hundred and fifty or two hundred 
Indians mounted on their best horses and 
dressed in their gayest costmnes. The Paw- 
nees, having formed an extended line, ad- 
vanced with full speed and galloped around 
the detachment two or three times. The 
chiefs then advanced to Colonel Dodge, and 
the pipe of peace was passed around and 
smoked. Angry Man then invited Colonel 
Dodge, with a number of the Dragoons, to a 
feast in his lodge. There they were seated 
around the fire, and in strict accordance with 
Indian etiquette Colonel Dodge was given 
the highest seat. After a meal of boiled corn 
was eaten the Dragoons made a brief march 
and encamped on the bank of the Platte. 

The Paw^nees at this time were divided 
into four tribes which lived in separate vil- 
lages and had different chiefs. Angry Man 
was the chief of the Grand Pawnees. The 
chief of the Pawnee Republics was called 



118 HENRY DODGE 

Blue-coat; the cliief of the Pawnee Loups 
was Axe ; while the head of the Pawnee Tap- 
peiges was Little Chief. For years these 
tribes had been waging an intermittent war 
with the Sioux and had often returned with 
scalps and large nmnbers of horses. They 
occupied a rich and productive soil, well 
adapted to the raising of grain and to graz- 
ing. The buffalo, of which they killed large 
numbers, furnished their principal means 
of subsistence. "They are already im- 
pressed with a high opinion of the power of 
the United States," w^rites the Dragoon 
journalist, "and it will not be difficult for 
the government in a short time to exert a 
controlling influence over them." 

Colonel Dodge now declared his intention 
of holding a council with the different 
Pawnee tribes, and runners were at once 
dispatched to inform the other villages of 
his arrival. Repairing with most of the 
Dragoon officers to the lodge of Angry Man, 
Colonel Dodge addressed the assembled 
chiefs and warriors. He would be glad to 
make peace between them and their old 
enemies, the Arapahos and the Cheyennes. 
The destructive effects of wars were pointed 
out, and it was urged that they devote them- 



MARCH TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 119 

selves to the cultivation of corn. ''Could 
you also learn to raise cattle," lie suggested, 
''you would be able to support yourselves 
and families without depending upon the 
uncertainty of the chase." 

To this advice highly rhetorical but rather 
friendly speeches were made in turn by the 
four Pawnee chiefs. "I thank you for 
treating these people so well", declared 
Angry Man. "You could not have been 
blamed if you had been more severe. ' ' When 
the council broke up presents were dis- 
tributed by Major Dougherty, and the In- 
dians appeared well pleased in obtaining new 
blankets, strouding, knives, and tobacco. 
They even informed Colonel Dodge that 
they would send one of their principal men 
with him to assist him in making peace with 
the Cheyennes and the Arapahos. 

One himdred and twelve miles were 
covered in the next w^eek. Marching up the 
Platte River along the south bank, the 
Dragoons passed the head of Grand Island 
on June 29, 1835. Two days later Captain 
Gantt set out to collect the Arickaras who 
were supposed to be near the forks of the 
Platte River. On the evening of July 4th 
the Dragoons saw their first herd of buffalo. 



120 HENRY DODGE 

On the next day Captain Gantt returned 
bringing the chiefs and principal warriors 
of the Arickaras. ''The Arickaras", writes 
Lieutenant Kingsbury, "are considered the 
wildest and most savage tribe of Indians 
west of the Mississippi, and have always 
been characterized by a want of faith in 
their promises, and an inveterate hostility to 
the whites, killing all they could meet. They 
are at war with most of the surrounding 
nations, and large numbers of them are 
killed every year. They formerly lived on 
the Missouri River, but were driven from 
this country by the Sioux, with whom they 
had long been at war. . . . There are now 
about two thousand two hundred of them 
in all, numbers of them having lately been 
killed by their numerous enemies." 

Colonel Dodge's speech to the assembled 
Arickaras was full of advice and warning. 
The evil effects of inter-tribal wars were 
again pointed out; the stealing of horses 
was denounced; and they were reminded 
that several charges of murder were held 
against them. The friendly nature and pur- 
pose of the Dragoons' expedition was then 
explained and the Colonel delivered the 
greetings and the presents from the Presi- 



MARCH TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 121 

dent of the United States. "He is mild in 
peace", warned the Dragoon Colonel, "but 
terrible in war. . . . You see but few 
mounted men with me ; it was not the wish of 
your great father to alarm you and other 
remote nations of Indians with the appear- 
ance of a large army which he could have 
sent here with as much ease as the few war- 
riors you see with me. The cannon you see 
are small in comparison with the large guns 
that could be sent to this country." 

The chiefs replied briefly to this advice, 
and after extolling their past conduct ex- 
pressed much friendship for the whites. 
One of the chiefs gave a hunting-shirt fi.nely 
ornamented with beads to Colonel Dodge 
who then distributed the usual presents 
among the Indians. On July 6, 1835, the 
council dispersed with many expressions of 
thanks and gratitude from the Arickaras. 

Steady marching occupied the Dragoons 
for the next two weeks, during which they 
covered over two hundred and fifty miles up 
the south fork of the Platte River along its 
southern bank. "The elements of the 
scene", writes the Dragoon journalist, 
"now were an unbounded prairie, a broad 
river, with innumerable herds of buffalo 



122 HENRY DODGE 

grazing upon its banks, and occasionally a 
solitary tree standing in bold relief against 
a clear blue sky." On July 15th the soldiers 
enjoyed a bird's-eye view of the Rocky 
Mountains, which, being the end of the 
march and the goal of their hopes, were 
hailed with joy by the whole conimand. 

Leaving the south fork of the Platte, 
whose banks the Dragoons had hugged for 
many hundreds of miles, the command for 
the remainder of the month of July changed 
its course to a southerly direction/^*' Im- 
mense herds of buffalo were seen ; timber be- 
came more abimdant; several kinds of wild 
fruit were found ; and deer were numerous. 
On the 26th of July they crossed the divid- 
ing ridge between the waters of the Platte 
and the Ai-kansas. ''The mountains were in 
the form of an immense fortification with 
turrets and rock-crowned battlements, and 
pine trees along the covered line relieved 
against a clear blue sky. The different 
passes between the mountains appeared to be 
guarded by large terraced watch-towers." 

On July 30th Colonel Dodge's detach- 
ment camped upon the banks of the Ai'kan- 
sas River. There he learned that fifty lodges 
of Arapahos were encamped on the oppo- 



MARCH TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 123 

site side of the river and that the remainder 
of the nation with a large number of Chey- 
ennes were hunting buffalo only about two 
days' ride distant. Two days later Captain 
Gantt left the command for the purpose of 
collecting these bands together. 

Sixty miles of marching up the Arkansas 
River brought the Dragoons to the fort of 
Bent and St. Yrain on the 6th of August, 
1835. Here Messrs. Bent and St. Vrain car- 
ried on an extensive trade with the Indians 
in buffalo robes, knives, blankets, and to- 
bacco. Two villages of Cheyennes were 
found near this fort. These Indians were 
very fond of whiskey and would sell their 
last possession to get a drink of it. ' ' In ar- 
ranging the good things of this world in 
order of rank," writes Lieutenant Kings- 
bury, "they say that whiskey should stand 
first, then tobacco, third guns, fourth horses, 
and fifth women. ' ' 

Captain Gantt on August 10th returned to 
camp bringing a number of Arapahos, a few 
Gros Ventres and two or three Blackfeet. 
On the next day Colonel Dodge held a coun- 
cil with a number of chiefs, warriors, and 
principal men who represented these tribes. 
The views and wishes of the government 



124 HENRY DODGE 

were then fully explained and once more the 
Dragoon Colonel advised the Indians to 
smoke the pipe of peace, to observe treaties, 
and to stop their warfare against the whites. 

With the assistance of Colonel Dodge 
three chiefs were now selected for the three 
bands of Cheyennes present at the council. 
The Colonel then put around the neck of 
each of the chiefs a medal, which he assured 
the Cheyennes was the symbol of their new 
offices. Presents were next distributed ac- 
cording to the nimiber of Indians in each 
nation; and then the council adjourned with 
many expressions of gratitude and good will 
for the Dragoons and their commander.^*^ 

Two days after this council the line of 
march was continued up the Arkansas 
River. On August 14, 1835, Colonel Dodge's 
force arrived at a Cheyenne village of about 
sixty skin lodges and held a council. The 
next morning the whole command was 
aroused by sharp firing about half a mile 
distant. ''Supposing this firing to be an at- 
tack on the Cheyenne Indians", wrote Col- 
onel Dodge, "and that this band might ask 
protection from me, I instantly formed the 
Dragoons in order of battle, until I could be 
informed as to the cause of the firing." 



MARCH TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 125 

In a brief time, however, a band of about 
one hundred Pawnees and Ai'ickaras ar- 
rived, explaining that they had fired their 
guns in order to prove their friendly dispo- 
sition by approaching with empty guns. A 
council was then called and Colonel Dodge, 
the mutual friend of all three tribes, induced 
them to forget old scores and to become 
friends. The Pawnees and the Arickaras 
received more than a hundred horses as 
presents from the Cheyennes, who in turn 
were given fifty guns. ''You will be con- 
Adnced", ran the Colonel's parting advice, 
"that your true interest is to hold each other 
strong by the hand as brothers and friends, 
and never again to stain your hands by the 
blood of each other." 

Although unfamiliar with the art of 
speech-making, the Cheyennes expressed a 
wish that Colonel Dodge tarry several days 
in order that they might hunt and bring him 
buffalo meat. "The good effects of the ex- 
pedition," writes Lieutenant Kingsbury, 
"are thus becoming apparent, and it will 
probably have the effect to establish peace 
among all the different tribes between the 
Arkansas and the Platte. This will be of 
immense advantage to these Indians, as they 



126 HENRY DODGE 

will thereby have an extensive country 
opened to them, covered with innumerable 
buffalo, where they can hunt in safety with- 
out the fear of being attacked". 

Long daily marches do^\Ta the Arkansas 
were made in the next week across plains, 
sand hills, buffalo grass, and prickly pear/^- 
On the 21st of August, 1835, the detachment 
took the old Santa Fe trail. Arriving at the 
Pawnee Fork the command halted for a day 
in order to kill buffalo to provision them to 
Fort Leavenworth. The horses were made to 
swim the swollen stream, while the baggage 
was transported across in buffalo skins. 

For forty or fifty miles the line of march 
bore down the Arkansas River. Late in 
August the course of march veered to the 
north. Forced marches were the only inci- 
dents of note during the next week. ''Con- 
tinued the march", concludes Lieutenant 
Kingsbury's narrative of this expedition, 
"Crossed the Hundred-and-ten mile creek, 
and entered upon the dividing ridge between 
the Kansas and Osage rivers ; passed Round 
and Elm Groves, and arrived at the crossing 
of the Kansas, at Dunlap's Ferry, on the 
15th; crossed the river and on the 16th ar- 
rived at Fort Leavenworth." 



MARCH TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 127 

High praise was accorded to the whole 
command for the success of the expedition, 
which Brigadier General Edmund P. Gaines 
regarded as extraordinary and unprece- 
dented. He believed that the Indian tribes 
had been judiciously impressed with the jus- 
tice, magnanimity, humanity, and power of 
the government, with no loss of life except 
that of one Dragoon/^^ This success Gaines 
believed to be due to the "very great vig- 
ilance, care, and prudence, on the part of 
the colonel and his officers, and constant at- 
tention, obedience, and fidelity on the part 
of the non-commissioned officers and sol- 
diers. ' ' 



X 



Governor of the Original Territory of 
Wisconsin 1836-1838 

Five vears of official life as Governor now 
lay before Henry Dodge v^ho at this point 
enters upon a political career of over twenty 
years. These five years witness the organ- 
ization of Territorial governments, the ad- 
ministration of law for an expanding and 
increasing population, the founding of 
towns, cities, and permanent homes, and the 
planting of the seeds of social and political 
institutions for two Commonwealths. In 
brief these years represent another step in 
the westerning movement of American set- 
tlement and State-building. 

The creation of the original Territory of 
Wisconsin was largely the fruit of many 
memorials, letters, and efforts from the 
people of the lead region. As early as Feb- 
ruary 10, 1829, Henry Dodge had urged the 
separation of this region from the Territory 
of Michigan. ^^^ The westward increase of 

128 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1836-1838 129 

population had quickened the eastward flow 
of petitions to Congress. But jealousy be- 
tween Green Bay and the lead region about 
Galena over the location of the capital had 
prevented favorable action by Congress 
until April 20, 1836, when the original Ter- 
ritory of Wisconsin was finally established. 
Colonel Dodge while with the Dragoons 
had been watching the prospective division 
of Michigan Territory with much interest. 
He could, indeed, flatter himself that he 
stood high in the estimation of President 
Jackson; he understood thoroughly the 
wants of the mining district and understood 
the character of the Indians upon the Mis- 
sissippi better than any other man. His 
letters to George W. Jones express strong 
hopes that the governorship of the Terri- 
tory likely to be created would be bestowed 
upon him. ''The best energies of My life", 
he wrote late in 1835, "has been spent in the 
Mining Country, the great Mass of the 
People of that Country I believe are my 
friends and the gratitude I know they feel 
for my Humble services is More gratifying 
to me than any Public Station that could be 
Conferred on me if it is their wishes How- 
ever [that] I should Be their Gov. I will 



185 



130 HENRY DODGE 

Honestly Serve them to the best of my Hum 
ble Abilities and retire from the Army" 

Three loyal friends of Colonel Dodge — 
Richard M. Johnson, Mr. Ashley, and 
George W. Jones — seconded the wishes of 
the people of the mining country in urging 
his appointment. To the President the 
military record of Colonel Dodge could well 
appeal ; and so on the last day of April, 1836, 
the commission of Dodge as Governor of the 
original Territory of Wisconsin was is- 
sued.^''^ Two months later amid the festivi- 
ties of Independence Day, and in the pres- 
ence of former neighbors and companions in 
arms, Colonel Dodge took the oath of office 
at Mineral Point. 

A vast domain of territory was included 
within the boundaries of the area over which 
Hemy Dodge was called to preside. To the 
east of the Mississippi River lay the present 
State of Wisconsin, while to the west of it 
lay the present State of Iowa and portions 
of Minnesota, and of North and South Da- 
kota. A hardy and vigorous population 
numbering over twenty thousand, from 
nearly every State in the Union, had already 
braved Indian dangers and founded homes. 
The administration of Henrv Dodge as the 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1836-1838 131 

first Governor extended over a period of 
five years and is the heritage of two Com- 
monwealths — Iowa and Wisconsin. 

By the Organic Act of the Territory gen- 
eral executive powers were vested in the 
Governor, who was appointed for three 
years at an annual salary of $1500. In legis- 
lative matters he possessed the power of ap- 
proving or vetoing bills passed by the Legis- 
lative Assembly. An additional salary of 
$1000 was granted the Governor who was 
also required to execute the duties of Super- 
intendent of Indian Affairs for the Terri- 
tory — an office for which Henry Dodge 
possessed unusual qualifications from his 
long military and treaty-making experiences 
with the Indian tribes. 

A census ordered by Governor Dodge to 
be taken in July, 1836, revealed an expand- 
ing population. Four counties on the east 
side of the Mississippi River returned a 
population of 11,683 ; while the two counties 
of Dubuque and Demoine on the west side 
gave a population of 10,531.^^' On the 9th 
of September the Governor called for an 
election on October 10th for members of the 
Legislative Assembly and apportioned the 
members of the Council and House of Rep- 



132 HENRY DODGE 

resentatives among the six counties/®^ Of 
the thirteen members of the Council and the 
twenty-six Representatives, six and twelve 
respectively were to be chosen from the west 
side of the Mississippi River. 

Indian affairs demanded Governor 
Dodge's attention in August and September 
of 1836. The obtainment of land cessions, 
the general supervision of Indian agencies, 
the task of maintaining peace between the 
whites and the Indians and among the tribes 
themselves were some of the duties of the 
Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Similar 
duties had been performed by such Superin- 
tendents as William Henry Harrison of In- 
diana Territory, William Clark of Missouri 
Territory, and in Dodge's own region by 
Lewis Cass of Michigan Territory. 

Near Green Bay on the Fox River Gov- 
ernor Dodge concluded his first treaty on 
September 3, 1836.^'" More than four mil- 
lion acres of pine lands were ceded to the 
United States by the Menominee nation. 
This large area lay along the Wolf, the Me- 
nominee, the Fox, and the Wisconsin rivers 
and was obtained for about ten cents an acre 
payable in twenty annual installments. 
Thus a great forest was opened to the lum- 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1836-1838 133 

bering industry. Indian villages gave way 
to lumbering camps and sawmills. The 
Menominee hunters with their guns and 
tomahawks were followed by lumbermen 
with axes. Ox teams began to follow Indian 
trails; while the sound of Indian war- 
whoops became drowned in the hum of saw- 
mills and the sound of American axes. 

Another treaty was negotiated by Gov- 
ernor Dodge with the Sac and Fox tribes 
at Davenport on the twenty-seventh of the 
same month. Twenty-four chiefs, braves, 
and principal men of the Sac and Fox tribes 
signed this treaty whereby they relinquished 
all claim to the lands lying between the west- 
ern boundary of the State of Missouri and 
the Missouri River. The youthful James 
W. Grimes acted as secretary of this com- 
mission.^^'' In the previous January, while 
with the Dragoons at Fort Leavenworth 
Colonel Dodge had expressed some pro- 
nounced views concerning this area. ''The 
inhabitants residing on the Western Border 
of the State of Missouri are Much opposed 
to the Location of the Indians immediately 
West of the State Line. I have no Hesita- 
tion in saying that Strip of Country should 
be annexed to the State of Missouri".'®' 



134 HENRY DODGE 



92 



In the next year Congress passed a law^ 
by which this region was added in 1837 to 
the State in which Henry Dodge had grown 
to manhood. 

Another treaty of great importance to the 
future of Iowa was negotiated by Governor 
Dodge on the next day on the present site of 
Davenport/^^ This was in regard to the 
famous "Keokuk Reserve", containing 
256,000 acres, which had been reserved for 
the Sacs and Foxes by the treaty of Sep- 
tember 21, 1832. Besides the regular pui'- 
chase price of $130,000 the govermnent as- 
sumed for the Indians several items of in- 
debtedness, making the cost of this magnifi- 
cent estate between seventy and seventy-five 
cents per acre. 

Besides the chiefs and braves at this treatv 
Inmdreds of Sac and Fox warriors were 
encamped upon the banks of the Mississippi 
River. Passengers from the steamboat 
"Missouri Fulton" had landed to enjoy the 
dramatic features of the scene. ^^"^ Many of- 
ficers and Indian interpreters were present 
to witness the formalities of the event. 
Keokuk, the principal speaker, was recog- 
nized as the chief of the tribes. With his 
noble countenance, dignified form, and 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1836-1838 135 

higlily decorated vestments he made the 
council tent ring with his eloquence. Black 
Hawk, dethroned and despised since his de- 
feat by Colonel Dodge, maintained a diunb 
and dismal silence. Wapello's stoical in- 
diiference commanded respect and made a 
striking contrast to the young and talented 
but dissipated Appanoose. Nah-pope, a 
companion in misfortune of Black Hawk, 
was not allowed to speak or even to sign the 
treaty. ^^Nali-pope rose, however," relates 
George Catlin who witnessed the scene,/ "and 
commenced a very earnest speech on the 
subject of temperance! but Governor Dodge 
ordered him to sit down, (as being out of 
order), which probably saved him from a 
much more peremptory command from 
Kee-o-kuU, w^ho was rising at that moment, 
with looks on his face that the Devil himself 
might have shrunk from."^^^ 

After the signing of the treaty Governor 
Dodge urged that the Indians vacate the 
cession promptly so as to make room for 
inflowing settlers. This advice caused con- 
siderable mirth among the Indians, and their 
reply indicated the immediate value of the 
soil: "There are alreadv four himdred 
Chemokemons [white settlers] on the land, 



136 HENRY DODGE 

and several hundred more on their way 
moving in; and three days before we came 
away, one Chemokemon sold his wigwam 
to another Chemokemon for two thousand 
dollars, to build a great town."^^^ 

Political matters next claimed the atten- 
tion of Governor Dodge who now repaired 
to Belmont in Iowa County. Here the Gov- 
ernor had chosen to convene the first Legis- 
lative Assembly on October 25, 1836. When 
the legislators assembled a crude village was 
observed, consisting of a frame building for 
the capitol, a tavern, three lodging-houses, 
two grog-shops, a printing-office, and an 
unfinished stable. Criticism was directed 
upon the Governor for having chosen a 
capital with such miserable accommoda- 
tions. "The whole of the Brown delega- 
tion", wrote one member, ''lodged in one 
room, about fifteen by twenty feet, and our 
lobby friends roomed with us. Our beds 
were all full, and the floor well-spread with 
blankets and over-coats for lodging pur- 
poses. "^^^ 

Other discomforts came with the cold 
weather. Wood was scarce, and these 
pioneer law-makers were compelled to 
shiver from the raw November and Decern- 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1836-1838 137 

ber air. It was difficult even to secure 
enough water for toilet purposes; while 
other complaints arose over the bill of fare 
at the tavern. ' ' That the Legislators of the 
great Territory of Wisconsin should be 
made comfortable during the discharge of 
their duties", wrote an anonymous sufferer, 
"I think necessary for the enactment of good 
and substantial laws. Empty stomachs 
make clear heads, but not good laws. The 
Lord deliver us from a set of hungry Legis- 
lators. "^^« 

A brief, clear, and sensible message was 
delivered in person by the Governor on the 
second day of the session. The Legislative 
Assembly was urged to define the jurisdic- 
tion and powers of the several courts of the 
Territory and to divide it into judicial dis- 
tricts. Memorials, he said, should be sent to 
Congress on the subject of preemptions and 
internal improvements such as harbors, 
lighthouses, and roads. The improvement 
of the Rock River he considered a question 
of vital importance ; while he urged that the 
organization and arming of the militia was 
necessary to insure the future peace of the 
Territory.^^^ 

This session lasted forty-six days, during 



138 HENRY DODGE 

which forty-two laws were enacted upon a 
variety of subjects. Three banks were in- 
corporated — the Miners Bank at Dubuque, 
the Bank at Milwaukee, and the Bank at 
Mineral Point. Many laws upon local gov- 
ernment were passed; the construction of 
bridges and Territorial roads was author- 
ized ; and new counties on both sides of the 
river were created. 

The question of locating the permanent 
capital had touched a score of selfish inter- 
ests and had produced some stormy discus- 
sions in the Legislative Assembly. "I deem 
it proper to state", the Governor had de- 
clared in his message, "that my assent will 
be given to its location at any point where a 
majority of the representatives of the people 
agree it will best promote the public good." 
Peru, Cassville, Bellevue, and Burlington 
presented their claims; and a strong re- 
monstrance came from the citizens of 
Dubuque County. Charges of corruption 
and bargaining were given and taken, and 
even Governor Dodge did not wholly escape 
from a suspicion which was subsequently 
shown to be without reason. By the act of 
December 3, 1836, the capital was finally 
located at Madison; but until the public 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1836-1838 139 

buildings at that place should be completed 
the legislative sessions were to be held at 
Burlington in Des Moines County. 

Turning again to his duties as Superin- 
tendent of Indian Affairs, Governor Dodge 
found much to be desired in the way of re- 
form. At every payment of specie annuity 
at Fort Winnebago the most shameful 
scenes of drunkenness and murders among 
the Indians were enacted. Traders and 
peddlers would swarm around the Indian 
village and dispense whiskey to the ignorant 
savages as long as they were able to pay for 
it. Joseph Montfort Street, the Indian 
Agent at Rock Island, made strong efforts 
to have some of the annuity money given to 
the Indians in the form of Indian schools, 
blacksmith shops, and farming implements. 
Orders from Washington, however, made it 
impossible for either Street or Governor 
Dodge to promote such a reform. 

In July, 1837, Governor Dodge journeyed 
far to the north to Fort Snelling at the head 
of the Mississippi Eiver. Messengers had 
been dispatched to invite the Chippewas to 
a grand council, and late in the month about 
twelve hundred Chippewas and about four 
hundred Sioux had assembled. This unex- 



140 HENRY DODGE 

pected convocation had also drawn to it a 
host of traders and agents of fur companies. 
By the treaty signed on July 29, 1837, the 
great pine forests of the St. Croix River 
were ceded to the United States. Liberal 
paATiients were made in money, tobacco, 
blacksmith shops, grain, seed, farming im- 
plements, and provisions. Incidentally this 
council resulted in sending a Sioux delega- 
tion to visit Secretary of War Poinsett.^*''^ 

Late in October, 1837, Governor Dodge 
and the members of the Legislative Assem- 
bly were on their way to Burlington where 
the second session was to convene on Nov- 
ember 6. A cotillion was given in honor of 
the legislators, and Burlington outdid Bel- 
mont in providing both hospitality and com- 
fort. Taverns and hotels were plenty, and 
the "Exchange" was open at reasonable 
hours where "a clean tumbler, fresh water, 
and an excellent glass, courteously served 
may be had". Prairie chicken, venison, 
duck, goose, and fish were served from the 
kitchen of "that prince of cuisines. Mon- 
sieur Ude. " ^"^ 

This session was held in a building which 
had been constructed for the Legislative 
Assembly during the previous summer ; and 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1836-1838 141 

Jeremiah Smith, an enterprising member of 
the House of Representatives, had spent 
about $7000 in its construction. On a cold 
night on December 13th, the entire structure 
was totally destroyed by fire. A special com- 
mittee of the Legislative Assembly investi- 
gated the calamity and reported that the fire 
was purely of an accidental origin.-"^ Both 
bodies were then forced to hold their ses- 
sions in two small buildings on Main Street. 

Governor Dodge delivered his message in 
the hall of the House on the second dav of the 
session.^"^ Many of the recommendations in 
his first message were repeated. The codi- 
fication of the Territorial laws was urged; 
the disputed boundary between the Terri- 
tory and the State of Missouri was dis- 
cussed; the erection of county jails where 
needed was urged; and it was pointed out 
that a reapportionment of Representative 
districts needed to be made. During this 
session five veto messages were sent by the 
Governor to the Legislative Assembly. 

When the law-makers adjourned on Jan- 
uary 20, 1838, over one himdred laws had 
been enacted upon a great variety of sub- 
jects. The Governor departed for his home 
at Mineral Point on January 23rd, leaving 



142 HENRY DODGE 

a fine record at Burlington. "Governor 
Dodge is the very best executive officer this 
Territory could get", wrote a local editor. 
"Practical sense, firmness, courage, a 
knowledge of the frontier character, and of 
the Indian character — are indispensible for 
such an officer ; and these he possesses in an 
eminent degree. "^'^^ 

Business in the Indian and the executive 
departments engaged Governor Dodge for 
the next five months. He believed that so far 
his administration had met the approval of 
the great mass of the peojDle. Henry Dodge 
was now in his fifty-fifth year, and no doubt 
the pressui'e and worry of his office some- 
times brought on a desire for retirement. 
Writing to George W. Jones on February 
19, 1837, he said: "I have Had Offices 
Enough to Satisfy one man and from my 
present feelings on that Subject I think I 
will never be a candidate for Any Public 
Office after I retire from my present Sta- 
tion".-^^^ 

Meanwhile everybody was expecting that 
a separate Territory would be created west 
of the Mississippi River. Petitions and 
memorials had been sent to Washington, 
Territorial newspapers had discussed it, and 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1836-1838 143 

the matter had come up in the Legislative 
Assembly. In Congress it appears that 
Delegate George W. Jones had. been working 
for such a measure and had cited the enor- 
mous increase of the population as a potent 
argument. As early as May 25, 1838, Gov- 
ernor Dodge had written a letter to Presi- 
dent Van Buren in which he urged that 
George W. Jones be appointed Governor of 
the Territory if it were to be created.-^ "^ 

An extra session of the Legislative Assem- 
bly convened at Burlington on June 11, 1838, 
to pass a law to reapportion the representa- 
tion in the lower branch of that bodv. Dur- 
ing the session of fifteen days thirty acts 
were passed. On the 13th of June the Gov- 
ernor wrote to Delegate Jones at Washing- 
ton that "there is great Political calculation 
making here among the great Men who are 
waiting impatienth^ to hear the result of the 
Division of the Territory".--'^ On the day 
before, however, President Van Buren had 
signed the act whereby was to be created on 
July 4, 1838, the Territory of Iowa. 

The first two years of the administration 
of Henry Dodge represent the connecting- 
link between Iowa and the Old Northwest. 
During this time the aegis of the Ordinance 



144 HENRY DODGE 

of 1787 extended over the Iowa country, 
bringing with it a mass of precedents, con- 
ventions, and traditions, which for many 
years had found sway in the Territories of 
the Northwest under such Governors as St. 
Clair, Harrison, Cass, and Mason. 

Finally, from these two years there 
emerge the beginnings of local government 
and administration. Township and county 
officers are appointed and their duties and 
powers prescribed ; townships, coimties, and 
other units of administration are created; 
and the judicial system is inaugurated and 
improved. Henry Dodge's use of the ex- 
ecutive power conduced toward harmony in 
administration, restraint upon unwise legis- 
lation, and a check upon the tendency to- 
ward speculation and extravagance. From 
a retrospect of over seventy years, therefore, 
this biennium presents an administration 
that was honest, efficient, and faithful. 



XI 

Governor of Wisconsin Territory 

1838-1841 

Henry Dodge's governorship of the Terri- 
tory of Wisconsin covers a period of nearly 
three years, during which the population of 
the Territory increased from about eighteen 
thousand in 1838 to over thirty thousand in 
1840. It is a continuation of his successful 
administration of the same office in the 
original Territory of Wisconsin: the man- 
agement of Indian affairs continues as one 
of his principal problems ; the growing vig- 
orous Territory presses its demands for in- 
ternal improvements; the germs of State- 
hood are planted; and the Governor v^it- 
nesses the rise of the political party system 
in Wisconsin. 

The Governor's first message ^"* was a 
legislative chart to guide the progress of the 
thirty-nine law-makers who assembled at 
Madison on November 26, 1838. At the out- 
set the Governor asserted that the division 

10 145 



146 HENRY DODGE 

of the Territory had been a wise step. He 
urged a memorial to Congress requesting a 
law which would allow biennial instead of 
quadrennial elections for members of the 
Council and annual instead of biennial terms 
for the Representatives. This would be in 
accordance with the tenures provided in the 
Organic Act for the Territory of Iowa. 

Attention was also called to the question 
of. Statehood. The population and the 
natural resources of the Territory indicated 
that "the time is not distant when she 
will form a strong link in the chain of States 
in the great valley of the Mississippi. ' ' Then 
he urged the enactment of a law that would 
provide a tax on the lands of non-residents. 
Such a law would be permitted by Congress, 
and the proceeds could be applied for the 
benefit of the common schools. "Its happy 
influence over the morals of our citizens 
would i^romote the cause of Religion and 
Virtue, and cement more closely the bonds 
of our political union, and be the means of 
preparing the rising generation to partici- 
pate in the councils of our common country, 
as well as to enjoy and defend our free insti- 
tutions from the polluting touch of aris- 
tocracy and despotism." 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1838-1841 147 

The law-makers were advised to investi- 
gate those banks which had violated the pro- 
visions of their charters. It was urged also 
that a committee be appointed to revise the 
Territorial laws and to render them more 
intelligible and accessible to the people ; and 
finally it was urged that three judicial dis- 
tricts be created by the Legislative Assem- 
bly. 

A large number of memorials to Congress 
were suggested. For example, that body 
should be asked to appropriate $250,000 for 
harbors and lighthouses on Lake Michigan. 
Population Avould be increased, the shipping 
trade would grow, and the public lands 
Would be much enhanced in price. Special 
stress was laid upon the importance of a 
good harbor at Milwaukee. Another memo- 
rial should request that 150,000 acres of land 
be exposed to sale, and that the proceeds 
therefrom be used in improving the Fox 
River of Green Bay and the Rock and the 
Pecatonica rivers. Such improvements 
would shorten the route of transportation 
(which was then by way of New Orleans) 
by providing an eastern outlet for the lead, 
peltries, and lumber of the Territory. 

The Governor thought that Congress 



148 HENRY DODGE 

should also be asked to grant $10,000 to be 
used in removing the obstructions to naviga- 
tion on the Mississippi River. For steam- 
boats to pass the rapids of that river it re- 
quired the unloading of their cargoes, and 
the time and money thus spent in lightening 
the boats was estimated to be fifteen per cent 
of the cargo. The State of Illinois and the 
Territory of Iowa shared the interest of 
Wisconsin Territory in this needed im- 
provement. 

From his message of 1836 the Governor 
quoted his views in regard to the necessity of 
securing preemption rights for the lead 
miners, whose interests he was ever ready to 
promote. Another memorial should request 
the extinguishment of the title of the 
Menominees to that land bordering on the 
Fox River from the mouth of the Wolf 
River to the Portage of the Fox and Wis- 
consin rivers. 

An unfinished capitol edifice greeted the 
members of the Second Legislative Assem- 
bly as they convened for their first session at 
Madison. For several days they met in the 
basement of the old American House, where 
Governor Dodge delivered his first message 
on the second dav of the session. This was 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1838-1841 149 

then the onh^ public house in Madison, and 
it served as the political headquarters. 

At last the Legislative Assembly moved 
into the new Assembly Hall. The floor had 
been laid with green oak boards, full of ice, 
while the seats were constructed of the same 
material. Desks were made of rough boards. 
The one fireplace and the one small stove 
were not sufficient to keep the ink from 
freezing and the legislators from shivering 
with the cold. The green boards near the 
stove and fireplace shrunk, leaving large 
cracks between. "The basement story was 
all open," declares a member of this pioneer 
Assembly, "and James Morrison's large 
drove of hogs had taken possession. . . . 
We had a great many smart members in the 
House, and sometimes they spoke from 
Buncombe. When members of this ilk 
would become too tedious, I would take a 
long pole, go at the hogs, and stir them up ; 
when they would raise a young pande- 
monium for noise and confusion. The 
speaker's voice would become completely 
drowned, and he would be compelled to stop, 
not, however, without giving his squealing 
disturbers a sample of his swearing abil- 
ity."-^'' 



150 HENRY DODGE 

Very meager appropriations were made 
by Congress for the Territory for the year 
1839 ; and so the second session of the Legis- 
lative Assembly in January, 1839, devoted 
itself largely to the unfinished business of 
the former session. By a Congressional act 
of March 3, 1839, the veto power of the 
Governor had been modified to a qualified 
veto, it being provided that bills might be- 
come laws if passed by a majority of two- 
thirds after having been returned by the 
Governor without his signature. 

Indian affairs became an important pub- 
lic question during this session. The Win- 
nebago tribe, by the treaty of November, 
1837, had agreed to vacate their ceded lands 
in eight months. Their depredations and 
threatening attitude stimulated a corres- 
pondence between the War Department and 
Governor Dodge who requested four com- 
panies of Dragoons and one thousand stands 
of arms. '^ Unless the Government takes 
the proper steps to effect their removal early 
in the spring," said the Governor, "I will 
assmiie the responsibility of raising a mount- 
ed volunteer corps of rifiemen, (and head 
them in person) sufficient to effect their re- 
moval from this territorj^"-^*^ 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1838-1841 151 

This bellicose declaration brought forth a 
letter from the Secretar}^ of War who ex- 
plained that the tardiness in the removal of 
the Winnebagoes was due to the risk and 
inconvenience that would result to the In- 
dians in removing them at an improper 
season. Furthermore, the Indians felt a 
great reluctance to migrate to the neutral 
strip then occupied by hostile bands of the 
Sioux and Fox tribes. The Secretarv an- 
nouuced that an exploring party would be 
sent in the spring to choose more suitable 
ground for them, and closed his letter with 
the hope that Governor Dodge would impose 
no obstacles in the way of the execution of 
the department's policies.^^^ 

A long list of duties fell to Henry Dodge 
as Superintendent of Indian Affairs."^- He 
was the general receiver of funds within his 
superintendency. He was to require the 
presence of an Agent or sub-agent at the 
superintendency and through him convey 
the funds to the various agencies. Each 
Agent was required to make a quarterly re- 
port to the Superintendent, before the pay- 
ment of his salary, of receipts and expendi- 
tures, and of the goods, stock, provisions, 
and husbandry at the agency. 



152 HENRY DODGE 

Generally speaking the Governor was the 
medium of communication between the 
agencies and the Indian Bureau at Wash- 
ington. Memorials were forwarded by him 
to Washington. He secured the execution 
of the bonds of the various Agents. The 
task of erecting buildings was sometimes 
delegated to the Agent. The Governor gave 
advice as to expenditures for the erection of 
buildings and the purchase of new agency 
sites. He could make application for treat- 
ies. Complaints from the whites were heard 
by him; and he inquired into the claims of 
fur companies, traders, and interpreters 
who were always present at the payment of 
the annuities. 

Dodge's report of October 18, 1839,=^^=^ to 
the Commissioner of Indian Affairs de- 
scribes the various tribes in the Territory 
for that year. About two-fifths of the Win- 
nebagos were residing within thirty miles 
of Fort Winnebago and were showing a de- 
sire not to remove from their ceded lands 
and to refuse to obey their treaty obligations. 
Compulsory measures, urged Dodge, will be 
necessary to remove them. The baneful ef- 
fects of the sale of liquor to them at the 
Portage and at Prairie du Chien was men- 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1838-1841 153 

tioned, and Dodge quoted the following from 
Sub- Agent David LowTy's report: ''The 
Indian can only be redeemed from his pres- 
ent degraded state by the protecting policy 
of the government removing him where in- 
tercourse with the white man can be pro- 
hibited, and establishing schools and farms 
among them, under the supervision of com- 
petent agents." 

The Chippewas on the sources of the Mis- 
sissippi, explained the report, would likely 
retain their warlike and wandering habits. 
The removal of the Menominees from Green 
Bay to the west of the Mississippi River was 
advised. The tribe was scattered over a 
wide expanse of territory, living by hunting 
and fowling, and derived but little benefit 
from annuities or the schools and farms es- 
tablished for them. Other tribes were the 
Oneidas, Munsees, and the Stockbridges at- 
tached to the Green Bay agency. These 
Indians were few in number, civilized, and 
desirous of obtaining the rights of citizen- 
ship. It w^as advised that they be removed 
to the Missouri to free them from the evil in- 
fluences of the whites. 

Until the year 1839 the Territory had en- 
joyed freedom from the turmoils of partisan 



154 HENRY DODGE 

politics, but by June of that year both the 
Whig and the Democratic parties were gird- 
ing themselves for the approaching election 
of Delegate to Congress. Delegates were 
chosen, nominating conventions held, reso- 
lutions were adopted, committees were ap- 
pointed to prepare and issue addresses, and 
corresponding committees were provided for 
in each county. 

Byron Killbourn had been nominated for 
Delegate by the Democrats, while the Whigs 
placed in the field the brilliant and scholarly 
Judge James Duane Doty — a man destined 
to become a worthy political opponent of 
Governor Dodge. On June 29th there was 
announced the independent candidacy of 
Thomas P. Burnett, which was intended and 
regarded as a rebuke to the rise of partisan 
methods and candidates. After a brief but 
spirited contest, in which fourteen counties 
participated. Judge Doty was elected over 
Killbourn by a large majority.^^'* 

Governor Dodge's message -^^ was de- 
livered on December 3, 1839. " It is the hap- 
piness of the Chief Magistrate of this Ter- 
ritory, at the present time", wrote the 
Madison Exiyress, "that his path is unem- 
barrassed by party lines.^''^'^^ The question 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1838-1841 155 

of Statehood was again emphasized. A 
memorial should be sent to Congress asking 
for $30,000 for an appropriation for the 
Penitentiary. Attention was also directed 
to the currency which had been largely 
drained of specie by the land sales; and 
formal reconmiendations were made relative 
to memorials for additional Congressional 
appropriations. 

Rigid investigation of the bank at Mineral 
Point was urged. The exclusive powers of 
banks have been derived from the people, 
declared the Governor, and such institutions 
are consequently proper subjects of legisla- 
tive control. Banks when properly man- 
aged he regarded as beneficial to both the 
individual and to the conmiunity. '^It must 
be admitted, however, that monied associa- 
tions are not republican in their tendency, 
and when used for purposes of specula- 
tion, have a withering influence on the best 
interests of the great mass of the com- 
munity. Monopolies of every kind should 
be put down, and all corporations strictly 
confined to the privileges plainly set down 
in their charters." 

Sixty laws were enacted at this session of 
the Legislative Assembly. On the 11th of 



156 HENRY DODGE 

January, 1840, was enacted a law providing 
for the census. The Governor was author- 
ized to contract with the Marshal of the Ter- 
ritory, at a sum not to exceed $600 to furnish 
to the Governor a transcript of the census 
of the Territory as taken by hun for the 
sixth census authorized by Congress. 
Twenty-two counties showed a population of 
30,747. 

An extra session of the Second Legislative 
Assembly was convened at Madison on 
August 3, 1840. Governor Dodge's message 
was confined to the recommendation that a 
reapportionment of Representative districts 
be made. Twelve other acts were passed at 
this brief session which lasted but twelve 
days. 

When the first session of the Third Legis- 
lative Assembly assembled in December, 
Governor Dodge again referred to the ques- 
tion of Statehood and urged that action be 
taken upon that subject. A memorial to 
Congress should request annual and biennial 
elections to the Legislative Assembly; while 
another petition should request a law allow- 
ing popular election of all county officers. 
Governor Dodge believed the people of the 
Territory fully competent for self -govern- 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1838-1841 157 

ment, and pointed to the beneficial results 
of such provisions in the neighboring Ter- 
ritory of Iowa. 

Partisan politics grew in bitterness as the 
Territory became engulfed in the noisy 
demonstrations of the log-cabin and the 
hard-cider campaign of 1840. Charge after 
charge was made by the Whigs against all 
Democratic office-holders from the Presi- 
dent down to the Marshal of the Territory. 
On March 9, 1839, Henry Dodge had been 
appointed to the office of Governor for the 
term of three years, and a majority of the 
people hoped for a continuance of his honest 
and efficient administration. The theatrical 
campaign of 1840 had, however, resulted in 
the election of a Whig President ; and so in 
March or April of the next year Governor 
Dodge was supplanted by James Duane 
Doty, the leader of the Whig forces in the 
Territory of Wisconsin.^ ^^ 



XII 

Delegate feom the Territory of 
Wisconsin 

President Tyler's ax^pointment of Doty re- 
sulted in transferring to Congress for four 
years the services of Henry Dodge as Dele- 
gate from the Territory of Wisconsin. His 
unanimous nomination for the office by the 
Democrats in Julv, 1841, was followed by a 
brisk campaign against Jonathan E. Arnold, 
the A¥hig nominee. The election took place 
on the 27th of September, and the results 
from the seventeen counties gave him a ma- 
ioritv in all but four counties. His total 
vote was 3,435 — a majority of 507 over the 
Whig candidate.-^^ 

It was a tall, dignified, and erect figure 
that stepped up with a military bearing to 
take the oath of office in the House of Rep- 
resentatives, when on December 7, 1841, ex- 
Governor John Reynolds presented the cre- 
dentials of Henrv Dodse."^'' His admission 



"■&' 



to the House now gave three Territorial 

158 



DELEGATE TO CONGRESS 159 

Delegates to that body. Augustus Caesar 
Dodge having entered Congress in the pre- 
vious December as Delegate from the Ter- 
ritory of Iowa was there to welcome his 
father to congressional life. The Territory 
of Florida was represented by Delegate 
David Levy. 

By the Organic Act of the Territory of 
Wisconsin the term of office of Henry Dodge 
was two years. As Delegate he was given a 
salary of $8 per day with $8 for every twen- 
ty miles traveled in going to and from 
Washington. He enjoyed all the privileges 
of a Representative, except that he was 
neither allowed to vote nor given member- 
ship on the conmiittees. He was the sole 
representative at Washington to present and 
push claims from the Territory and to take 
care of the great mass of memorials and pe- 
titions which were continually being sent to 
him from the Legislative Assembly, from 
towns, and from citizens. 

An important duty and a never-ending 
task of Delegate Henry Dodge was the pre- 
sentation of petitions and memorials. The 
petitions of January 6, 1842, are illustrative 
of this fact: four petitions asked for mail 
routes; eight more requested harbors; ap- 



160 HENRY DODGE 

propriations for roads were asked; money 
was desired for roads and for the improve- 
ment of the rivers in Wisconsin ; petitions in 
behalf of settlers on canal lands were pre- 
sented; the miners of the Territory asked 
for concessions and another memorial re- 
lated to the subject of school lands.^^^ 

Ever mindful of the growth and pros- 
perity of his Territory he labored faithfully 
in securing legislation favorable for the 
settler and the miner whose interests always 
struck a responsive chord in Henry Dodge. 
When on July 14, 1842, an amendment was 
introduced which proposed to reduce the 
duty on lead from three cents to two and 
one-half cents per pound, he rose to the de- 
fense of the interests of the miners of Wis- 
consin Territory."' The output of the Mis- 
sissippi lead-mines in 1841, urged Dodge, 
amounted to the immense sum of twenty 
millions of pounds. Although a Democrat, 
and not a friend of protective or high duties, 
Mr. Dodge did not believe that sound policy 
would demand a low duty on lead: the tax 
would be but little felt on account of the 
limited use of the article ; the mines were yet 
in their infancy and needed the fostering 
hand of the government to develop and sus- 



DELEGATE TO CONGRESS 161 

tain them ; and, finally, it was urged that lead 
was an important ingredient of war and its 
sufficient production would render the 
Nation independent of other sources. 

Justice, sheer justice, urged the Delegate, 
demanded from the national legislators that 
they should place their protecting arms 
around and beneath those hardy and enter- 
prising men. By their perseverance and 
industry they had enriched the national 
treasury by developing the mineral wealth 
of Wisconsin Territory, But for these men 
the country would be a savage waste and 
they had not only replenished the treasury 
by the sweat of their brow, but they had also 
shed their blood to protect the country to 
which the government had invited them. 

Immense benefits would accrue to the gov- 
ernment; an interior commerce would be 
created; the value of the public domain 
would be increased ; and rapid settlement and 
increased wealth would result. Augustus 
Caesar Dodge then followed his father in 
defense of the higher duty, and William C. 
Johnson of Maryland warmly indorsed the 
argimients of the Wisconsin Delegate. The 
vote on the amendment was then taken and 
the duty was left at three cents. 

11 



162 HENRY DODGE 

Five days later Henry Dodge made a 
strong plea for his bill (introduced on June 
29, 1842) which made appropriations for the 
construction of harbors on Lake Micliigan 
in the Wisconsin Territory.-^ ^ These were 
to be located at Milwaukee, Racine, and 
Southport; and the expenditures for these 
improvements, estimated Dodge, would be 
$171,118. For six years memorials had been 
sent from the Territory urging the improve- 
ments; but the incessant calls for aid had 
only resulted in obtaining surveys at these 
points. 

''More than four hundred miles of coast," 
he said, "extending from Chicago to Green 
Bay, on the western shore of Lake Michigan, 
are destitute of a harbor or a shelter, where 
safety can be found for vessels from the 
storms and high winds and dangerous surf 
which characterize that lake from the other 
great lakes of the Northwest. The entire 
length of the coast of Lake Michigan is 
about nine-hundred and eighty miles; and 
the contemplated harbors will afford pro- 
tection, in all violent storms, to vessels trad- 
ing to its eastern as well as its western 
shore. ' ' 

A statement was then submitted showing 



DELEGATE TO CONGRESS 163 

the great loss of life and property which had 
resulted from the unprotected condition of 
Lake Michigan. Aside from the protection 
of commerce he regarded such harbors as 
national works from their usefulness in time 
of war ; millions of acres remained unsold in 
Wisconsin Territory; and the erection of 
harbors would tend to increase the naviga- 
tion to the Territory, enhance the value of 
the public lands, and increase the sales. 

He pointed out that ''to insure the growth 
of the Territory, and to produce the devel- 
opment of her natural advantages and great 
resources, it would be necessary to erect her 
harbors, improve her rivers, and assist her 
to open a few important roads ; and, in aid- 
ing in thus bringing into successful opera- 
tion her many advantages, the Government 
can not fail to advance its own best inter- 
ests. ' ' 

A bitter controversy in which the Legis- 
lative Assembly and Delegate Dodge were 
arrayed against Governor Doty became an 
unpleasant feature of this period."-^ It will 
be recalled that in 1836 and in 1838 Congress 
had appropriated $40,000 for the erection of 
public buildings for the Territory. To 
James D. Doty, as treasurer of the board of 



164 HENRY DODGE 

commissioners, this sum was entrusted. He 
refused, however, to render any account to 
the Legislative Assembly, claiming that he 
was accountable only to the Treasury of the 
United States, that he had settled with the 
officials of the Treasury Department and 
that he had deposited there the unexpended 
balance of $1758.28. 

Delegate Henry Dodge on May 14, 1842, 
moved a resolution ^^^ in the House whereby 
the Secretary of the Treasury was requested 
to submit all the papers connected with Do- 
ty 's statement in regard to the expenditure 
of the $40,000. It was time, thought Dodge, 
that all the facts in relation to this matter 
should be elicited. Fraud and corruption 
having been charged against Doty, it was 
due to the Governor, to his standing, and to 
the relation he held with the General Gov- 
ernment that he should appear with clean 
hands. 

Dodge declared that the people and the 
Legislative Assembly of the Territory did 
not agree with Doty in his view that he was 
not accountable to them. "It is believed by 
them, sir," he said, "that the Congress of 
the United States appropriated the money 
for the Territory, expressly to enable it to 



DELEGATE TO CONGRESS 165 

erect its public buildings, and placed its dis- 
position solety under the Legislature of the 
Territory. The denial on the part of Gov- 
ernor Doty to recognize the authority of the 
Legislature, and his refusal to obey the laws 
which they have passed, and to pay over the 
money to the Territory wdiich, it is believed, 
he holds, to those who have been appointed 
by the proper authority to receive it, render 
the call for information on the Secretary of 
the Treasury necessary. ' ' 

After a bitter arraignment of Governor 
Doty by Representative William Medill of 
Ohio, Mr. Dodge's resolution was adopted. 
''You will perceive", writes Henry Dodge a 
month later, "from the Dociunents I have 
inclosed You lately that I have been Nailing 
Doty[.'] You will See from My remarks in 
the House that I treated Uis Excy with 
great Courtesy at the same time. I had to 
notice his letter and the Abuse he Heaped on 
the Legislative Assembly as well as his Whig 
Friends by doing Justice to the Character 
and Standing of the Members of the Legis- 
lature, as well as to the Whigs who had as- 
sembled at Milwaukee and Belmont to ex- 
press their opinion in relation to the integ- 
rity and Honesty of their Govt{.'\ Nothing 



166 HENRY DODGE 

saves him but the influence Webster has 
with Tyler .... the truth is I sincerely be- 
lieve that Webster Tal[l]ma[d]ge and 
Tyler are the Only Men who do Not believe 
that Doty should be removed immediately 
from Office [.] I shall Keep a good Look 
Out while I am here and will make D y. 
a heavy weight for Tyler to Carry before I 
am done with Mm^'P^ 

The Committee on Territories, to which 
was referred the information requested from 
the Secretary of the Treasury, reported on 
July 4, 1842. The committee, concurring in 
Dodge's opinion, regarded that Doty was 
bound to settle with the legislative authori- 
ties of the Territor}^ The refunding of the 
balance of $1758.28 to the United States 
Treasurv thev could onlv attribute "to some 
error of judgment or misconception."^-^ 

Governor Doty had charted out a stormy 
course for himself. When the Fourth 
Legislative Assembly convened on Decem- 
ber 5, 1842, the Grovernor declared that 
the session was unauthorized by law, 
unprovided for by any Congressional ap- 
propriations, and illegal. He had, there- 
fore, no communication to make to them. 
The warfare between the Governor and the 



DELEGATE TO CONGRESS 167 

Legislative Assembly now reached its most 
acute stage. A memorial was prepared by 
that body which was sent to President Tyler : 
it was set forth that the Governor had re- 
fused his cooperation; he had suspended 
legislative functions and was attempting to 
concentrate all power in the executive office. 
His Excellency John Tyler was, therefore, 
requested to remove James D. Doty from the 
office of Governor of the Territorv of Wis- 
consin. > 

Moses M. Strong, the President of the 
Council, also took up arms against this sea 
of troubles by addressing, on December 12, 
1842, a seven-page letter to Delegate Henry 
Dodge. The contest between the legislature 
and Doty was explained. His "anarchical 
position" should be cause enough for his 
removal ; and so Mr. Strong begged the Dele- 
gate to present all the facts to the President 
and urge his removal from office.^ -^ 

Delegate Dodge complied with Mr. 
Strong's request. In his official letter of 
February 14, 1843, he requested the removal 
of Doty from office and assigned numerous 
reasons for the request. He had violated the 
laws of the United States and of the Terri- 
tory b}^ refusing to cooperate with the Legis- 



168 HENRY DODGE 

lative Assembly; his career on the board of 
commissioners for the erection of the public 
buildings was held up to reproach; he had 
procured, contrary to law, the appointment 
of his son, a minor, to lucrative offices ; non- 
partisan petitions from Wisconsin Terri- 
tory had urged his removal; and the Dele- 
gate closed by saying 'Hhat the history of 
the present Governor of this Territory is a 
history of repeated injuries and usur- 
pations, all having in direct object the estab- 
lishment of an absolute tyranny over the 
people of Wisconsin." 

In telling the story of this historic contro- 
versy Moses M. Strong tersely concludes 
with these words : "The Governor was not re- 
moved by the President. "^"^ 

During Henry Dodge 's two terms as Dele- 
gate not a great deal was accomplished to- 
ward the obtainment of congressional appro- 
priations for fostering and promoting pub- 
lic improvements within the Territory of 
Wisconsin. Indeed, little was secured for 
the Territory beyond the regular contingent 
expenses ; so that his efforts do not measure 
up in their results with those of his son, 
Augustus Caesar Dodge, in obtaining ap- 
propriations for the Territory of Iowa. 



DELEGATE TO CONGRESS 169 

Neither the discordant factions in Wis- 
consin nor the quarrel between the Governor 
and the Legislative Assembly were con- 
ducive to arousing in Congress a liberal atti- 
tude toward the young Territory of Wiscon- 
sin. Writing to George W. Jones on June 
14, 1842, Henry Dodge said; — "You have 
Never Seen Such a Body of Men Convened 
as the present Members of the House of 
Representatives. Bitter and Vindictive as 
they Can be Towards Each other & but 
Little of that Courtesy Necessary in Legis- 
lative Bodies, the Whigs are divided and 
Cut to pieces Among themselves Many of 
them exceedingly hostile to Tyler and to tell 
you my Opinion their Appears to be with 
the Heads of the Departments a great de- 
ficiencv of Practical Knowledge to enable 
them to administer the Govt[.] I have been 
for Six Months using all the Means in My 
power to get the Money Appropriated last 
March a year Ago Sent to the Territory ".^^^ 

The largest appropriation secured by 
Henry Dodge for public improvements was 
the sum of $10,000, granted by the act of 
March 3, 1845. Of this sum $3000 was to be 
expended for the construction of a road 
from Sheboygan to the Fox River; $2000 



170 HENRY DODGE 

for tlie repair of a road from Fort Howard 
to Fond du Lac ; and the balance was to be 
used in improving the road from Southport 
to Beloit.^^^ 

A proposition to disband the second regi- 
ment of Dragoons, which was under con- 
sideration in the House on March 26, 1844, 
stimulated an intelligent protest from their 
former Colonel.^"^ He warmly contended 
for the protection and defense of the 
frontier and caused several letters to be read 
by the Clerk in which were set forth the 
dangers to which the residents of the frontier 
were exposed. The remounting of this regi- 
ment he deemed but justice to the western 
people on whose borders the government had 
placed so many warlike Indian tribes. He 
enmnerated the western forts and the troops 
employed in their defense, and showed the 
inefficiency of the force there employed. 

This speech elicited an explanation from 
Jolm Quincy Adams, the mover of the 
amendment, who declared that he had no dis- 
position to strike a blow at the regiment of 
Dragoons. His purpose had been merely to 
test the question of increase or decrease of 
appropriations. In view of Dodge's speech 
Adams then withdrew his amendment. 



DELEGATE TO CONGRESS 171 

One of Delegate Henry Dodge's last ef- 
forts in the House was his unsuccessful at- 
tempt on February 21, 1845, to dissuade 
Congress from reducing the appropriation 
for the legislative expenses of his Terri- 
tory.^ ^^ The Committee on Ways and Means 
had reported $3529 less than the estimated 
amoimt made by the Governor and the Sec- 
retary of the Treasury. Why this differ- 
ence, inquired the Delegate. The population 
of the Territory is increasing and the neces- 
sity of legislation will increase in proportion 
to its numbers. Millions of dollars had been 
paid into the treasury by his constituents for 
public lands. If the state of the treasury is 
such that it is necessary to retrench in the 
legislative expenditures of the Territory of 
Wisconsin, let the pruning-knife be applied 
to the salaries of the Governor, Secretary, 
and Judges. Eeduce the per diem or the 
mileage of the Delegate to Congress from 
that Territory ; but do not deprive the people 
of the means of making laws for their gov- 
ernment. 



XIII 

Governor of Wisconsin Territory 

1845-1848 

Henry Dodge was a beneficiary as well as 
a victim of the surging democracy which 
characterized the decades from 1830 to 1850. 
Political removals and appointments more 
than kept pace with the changes in political 
complexion at Washington; and the Terri- 
tories sometimes gained and sometimes lost 
in administrative efficiencv from these in- 
termittent changes. Since his removal 
from the Governorship in 1841 Henry Dodge 
had been gaining legislative and political ex- 
l^erience in Congress, but the election of 
President Pollv in 1844 insured the reap- 
pointment of a Democratic Governor for the 
Territory of Wisconsin. Accordingly, in 
May, 1845, Henry Dodge resumed the duties 
of the office from which he had been removed 
four vears before."^" 

President Polk's diary is an interesting 
though unintentional comment upon the 

172 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1845-1848 173 

partisanship that marked executive appoint- 
ments for the Territories for these two 
decades.^^^ Ex-Governor Talhnadge on 
October 14, 1845, held an extended confer- 
ence with President Polli over his removal 
from the office of Governor. "Gov. Dodge", 
runs Polk's record of the interview in which 
the reasons for the change had been dis- 
cussed, "was a Pioneer of the West and an 
old Indian fighter, a man of high character 
. . . . who had been removed from the 
office of Governor by the late administration 
and Mr. Dotey appointed on political 
grounds solely ; that from the papers before 
him, including the recommendation of the 
Legislative Assembly, it appeared to be the 
popular sentiment of the Democracy in Wis- 
consin that justice should be done him by re- 
storing him to the office from which he had 
been removed without cause." 

The President insisted that he had not 
acted with any feeling of hostility in re- 
moving Tallmadge and restoring Dodge. 
He said also", continues the Polk diary, 
that the people of the Territories had made 
serious objections to the practice of appoint- 
ing persons from the states to offices within 
their boundaries, and that he had said to the 






174 HENRY DODGE 

Delegates in Congress that he would not do 
so, but would when he could find proper men, 
appoint citizens of the Territories to the 
offices within their limits. . . . The 
President stated that Gov. Dodge had him- 
self acted modestly in the matter ; that he de- 
sired to be restored, but had said nothing to 
him to the disparagement of Gov. Tall- 
madge." 

Early in May of 1845 Henry Dodge had 
returned from Washington to his home near 
Mineral Point. On the 5th of the next June 
a public dinner was tendered him by his 
neighbors, friends, and former battle-mates 
without distinction of party. The Mineral 
Point Dragoons under Captain John F. 
O'Neill escorted their prominent fellow- 
townsman from his residence to the town of 
Mineral Point. Bands, toasts, processions, 
and a speech by Moses M. Strong marked 
the occasion, and the festivities of the day 
were concluded by a merry ball at the court- 
house in the evening.^" ^ Henry Dodge was 
still one of the common people and such a 
reception was regarded as a happy omen for 
a harmonious administration of the govern- 
ment of the Territory. 

AVhen the Fourth Legislative Assembly 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1845-1848 175 

of the Territory convened at Madison on 
January 5, 1846, Governor Dodge recog- 
nized several co-workers of his former ad- 
ministration. Among the twenty-six Repre- 
sentatives he saw Thomas Cruson; while 
among the thirteen members of the Council 
he remembered Nelson Dewev, John H. 
Roundtree, and Edward V. Whiton.^^" 

On the second day the Governor appeared 
before the two chambers assembled in the 
House of Representatives and delivered his 
annual message.-'" At the outset he lu-ged a 
revision of the then existing laws relating 
to the common schools, which he regarded as 
fundamental to the elective franchise and 
to the permanency of representative govern- 
ment. The Territorial debt should be 
promptly paid, which would give standing 
to the credit of the Territorv. The lack of 
a penitentiary was also pointed out. The 
Territory was forced to confine its criminals 
in county jails at an expense which would 
almost build a penitentiary. The reforma- 
tion of criminals, he argued, is not possible 
in the county jails; and so the Legislative 
Assembly was urged to memorialize Con- 
gress upon the subject of a penitentiary for 
the Territory. 



176 HENRY DODGE 

Another memorial, lie urged, should be ad- 
dressed to Congress upon the subject of the 
lead and other mineral lands in the Terri- 
tor}^ The system of leasing to tenants by 
the government he regarded as fruitful of 
litigation, expensive and harassing to the 
people of the Territory, and unprofitable to 
the government itself. The system made the 
tenants dependent upon the agents of the 
government while the rent operated as a di- 
rect tax or tribute upon labor. A system of 
sales with preemption rights would seem to 
be a better policy. 

Congress should also be urged to grant 
additional appropriations and other im- 
provements to navigation. Upon the four 
hundred miles of coast line of Lake Michi- 
gan commerce had grown enormously. 
More harbors upon this coast would serve as 
a war protection for the landing of troops. 
The removal of obstructions in the Missis- 
sippi Eiver would be beneficial to Iowa and 
Illinois as well as to the Territory of Wis- 
consin. The construction of a water route 
between the Fox and the Wisconsin rivers 
at the Portage would be a national improve- 
ment and would increase both trade and 
population. The improvement of the navi- 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1845-1848 177 

gation of Rock River would also be of large 
importance to the Territory. 

Military matters also were discussed in 
the message. The Territory was entitled to 
six hundred stands of arms and equipments 
from the government ; and the militia should 
be organized, officered, mustered, and their 
arms annually inspected. The law-makers 
were also urged to memorialize the Secre- 
tary of War to send a company of Dragoons 
to either Fort Crawford or to Fort Winne- 
bago to insure the peace and quiet of the 
Winnebago Indians. 

This session of the Assembly was quite 
prolific in legislation. New counties were 
created, and township government was fur- 
ther inaugurated. Judicial districts were 
established ; many towns were created ; Mil- 
waukee was incorporated as a city; and 
Beloit College was incorporated by a special 
act. Territorial roads were authorized by 
special laws and the construction of dams 
was ordered. Laws upon divorce were en- 
acted; and many memorials were sent to 
Congress. Moreover, numerous nomina- 
tions to office were made by Governor Dodge, 
which with but one exception were confirmed 
by the Council without a division.^^^ 

12 



178 HENRY DODGE 

Perhaps the most important law signed 
by Governor Dodge during this session was 
the bill which provided for the submission 
to the people of the question of the forma- 
tion of a State government. The vote upon 
the question was to be taken upon the first 
Tuesday in April ; and in case of a favorable 
vote the Governor was directed to make an 
apportionment among the several counties 
of delegates to form a State Constitution. 
The Governor was further directed to issue 
a proclamation declaring the apportion- 
ment. The election of delegates by the 
people was set for the first Monday of Sep- 
tember. The delegates were then to meet at 
Madison on the first Monday of October to 
form a republican constitution, which should 
be submitted to the people for ratification 
or rejection in such manner and at such a 
time as the convention should prescribe.-^ ^ 

The April elections showed by a vote of 
six to one that the people were in favor of a 
State government and every county except 
Grant gave a favorable vote. On August 
1st Governor Dodge issued a procla- 
mation which apportioned one delegate for 
every thirteen hundred inhabitants. No 
delegate from Chippewa County was elected. 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1845-1848 179 

On October 5, 1846, ninety-five of tlie one 
hundred and twenty-four delegates elected 
assembled at Madison where they drew up a 
Constitution and adjourned on December 
16, 1846. The Constitution was to be voted 
upon on the first Tuesday of April in the 
following year.^*^ 

When the first session of the Fifth Legis- 
lative Assembly convened Governor Dodge 
(on January 5, 1847) discussed in his mes- 
sage-^^ the probability of Statehood and enu- 
merated some of the benefits to flow there- 
from. Five hundred thousand acres would 
be granted to the State by the Congressional 
act of September 4, 1841 ; -^- and the State 
would also receive five per cent of the net 
proceeds of the sales of the public lands. 
Other lands would be granted for school pur- 
poses and for a university. Furthermore, 
instead of a single Delegate, the State would 
be represented at Washington by three Rep- 
resentatives and two Senators. 

His Excellency also urged that a joint 
committee of the Legislative Assembly be 
appointed to ascertain the amount of indebt- 
edness of the Territorv, since this would 
probably be the last session of the Terri- 
torial legislature. Memorials to Congress 



180 HENRY DODGE 

for appropriations for harbors at Mil- 
waukee, Racine, and Southport were recom- 
mended. The reorganization of the militia 
and its officers was again advised as a mili- 
tary precaution against Indian disturb- 
ances. And in this connection the Governor 
stated that, in the previous May, Secretary 
of War Marcy had requested him to raise a 
regiment of volunteer infantry. But the 
withdrawal of the regular troops from Fort 
Crawford having induced the citizens to be- 
lieve that the volunteers should take the 
place of the regulars at Fort Crawford, the 
county of Crawford responded with a com- 
pany of men which had accordingly been ac- 
cepted for duty at that fort. 

At this session of the Legislative Assembly 
the incorporation of railroads occupied 
much of the time of the law-makers. A 
n"umber of laws were passed authorizing the 
construction of dams. Laws were also en- 
acted to regulate the liquor traffic. A large 
amount of legislation related to the creation 
of new counties, the organization of others 
previously created, the incorporation of 
seminaries and new towns, and the estab- 
lislunent of county seats. A large nmnber of 
memorials were also sent to Congress.^ ^^ 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1845-1848 181 

Meanwhile war had been declared upon 
the Constitution which was to be voted upon 
in April. Before its adoption by the Con- 
vention it had been attacked, and in both the 
Council and the House of Representatives 
arguments against it had been sounded. 
Moreover, newspapers and public speakers 
expressed their protests against it without 
reservation. The campaign was something 
of a repetition of the one which had taken 
place in the Territory of Iowa, except that in 
Wisconsin party lines were not strictly 
drawn. 

Many Whigs objected to the restrictions 
upon banking and bank circulation. The 
provisions on the rights of married women 
and exemption from forced sale were the 
object of vigorous attacks. The nmnerous- 
ness of the legislature was also declared to 
be objectionable; and the provision for an 
elective judiciary was criticised. The advo- 
cates of the instrument were diligent in 
meeting these objections and in pointing out 
its excellencies and its really progressive 
features. 

By the decisive vote of 20,231 to 14,119 
the Constitution went down to defeat at the 
April elections. Governor Dodge, on Sep- 



182 HENRY DODGE 

tember 27, 1847, issued a proclamation con- 
vening the Legislative Assembly in extra 
session at Madison on October ISth. In his 
brief message he limited himself to recom- 
mending such action as would secure the ad- 
mission of the Territory to Statehood. He 
was in favor of an early admission so that 
the State could vote in the coming presi- 
dential election, and he again enumerated 
the benefits to flow from an early formation 
of a State government. 

Again the whole machinery for securing 
the adoption of a State constitution was put 
in motion. A bill was quickly passed which 
provided for an election on November 29th 
of sixty-nine delegates, who were to assem- 
ble at Madison on December 15th and there 
form a new constitution. The Constitutional 
Convention completed its labors and ad- 
journed on February 1, 1848. The vote was 
to be taken on March 13, 1848 ; and on that 
date the instrument was adopted by a vote 
of 16,797 to 6,383.2'^ 

Confident of the adoption of the new Con- 
stitution, Governor Dodge had not deemed 
it proper to submit any subjects of legisla- 
tion when the second session of the Fifth 
Legislative Assembly convened on February 



GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN 1845-1848 183 

7, 1848. It would best accord with the 
wishes of the people, he urged, to enact at 
this session as few laws as possible.-^^ 

"The existing war between the United 
States and Mexico", said the Governor in 
his message, "has furnished a brilhant page 
in our nation's history. . . . The Presi- 
dent in the firm discharge of the high duties 
that have devolved upon him in the prosecu- 
tion of the Mexican war, is entitled to the 
thanks of every true American, and the last- 
ing gratitude of his country. ' ' The memory 
of Captain Augustus Quarles who fell before 
the City of Mexico "will long be cherished 
by the grateful people of Wisconsin." 

With the final act for the admission of 
Wisconsin into the Union, which was ap- 
proved on May 29, 1848,'^*^ the career of 
Henry Dodge as a Territorial executive and 
administrator ends. The three years of his 
governorship are replete with progress and 
represent the last strides of the Territory in 
the movement toward Statehood. Prom the 
Old Northwest Territory the Conmionwealth 
of Wisconsin emerges as the last of its quin- 
tet of States-'' — the culmination and the 
realization of the political ideals which had 
been formulated by the Congress of the 



184 HENRY DODGE 

Confederation more than sixty years before. 
Henry Dodge represents the last link in the 
long chain of Territorial Governors-^^ who 
contributed to this evolution — an evolution 
which fused the Old Northwest with an in- 
dissoluble union of States.^^* 



XIV 

United States Senator 

The highest office in the gift of the people 
of Wisconsin was now bestowed upon Henry 
Dodge for his long and conscientious service 
to the Territory. Against Edward V. 
Whiton and Alexander L. Collins, Isaac 
P. Walker and Henry Dodge (Democrats) 
were elected on June 8, 1848, as the first 
United States Senators from the new State 
of Wisconsin.^^*^ It was Senator Benton 
who presented the credentials of Henry 
Dodge. On June 23, 1848, he took his seat 
in the first session of the Tliirtieth Con- 
gress -^^ and was assigned to the class of 
Senators whose terms expired in 1851. 

Meanwhile political nominating conven- 
tions had begun to discuss Dodge's military 
and official records. A Barnburners Con- 
vention, composed of the friends of Van 
Buren, met at Utica, New York, on June 22, 
1848, and nominated Martin Van Buren for 
President and Henry Dodge for Vice Presi- 

185 



186 HENRY DODGE 

dent. Senator Dodge, however, declined the 
honor ^^^ — proud though he would be, as he 
said, to have his name under other circiun- 
stances associated with that of Van Buren. 
In the next August the first National Free 
Soil Convention at Buffalo, composed of 
Barnburners, Liberty men, and Anti-slavery 
Whigs, indorsed Van Buren for President 
and nominated Charles Francis Adams (the 
son of Henry Dodge's former colleague in 
the House) for Vice President.^"^ 

Henry Dodge's senatorial career covered 
a period of nearly nine years. Perhaps the 
Senate has never since contained a more re- 
markable group of men than served the 
country during his two terms. Webster, 
Calhoun, and Clay (at whose funeral Sena- 
tor Dodge was a pall-bearer)-^^ were about 
to inaugurate the golden age of American 
eloquence. Senator Cass he recalled as the 
Governor of Michigan Territory just before 
the opening of the Black Hawk War. 
Stephen Arnold Douglas represented the 
State in which Dodge had helped to sup- 
press the Winnebago War in 1827. And 
many years before Senator Jefferson Davis 
had served in Colonel Dodge's regiment of 
Dragoons. 



UNITED STATES SENATOR 187 

His closest friend in the Senate was 
Thomas H. Benton, whom he had known and 
admired for thirty-five years and whom he 
consulted often on questions of a public 
nature. A bitter personal debate between 
Senators Henry S. Foote and Thomas H. 
Benton on April 17, 1850, ahuost resulted 
fatally. Benton had advanced toward 
Foote, who then drew a pistol. Henry 
Dodge now sprang to his feet and arrested 
his friend from Missouri, who amid the con- 
fusion exclaimed from time to time : " I have 
no pistols ! " " Let him fire ! " ' ' Stand out of 
the way!" "I have no pistols!" "I dis- 
dain to carrv arms!" Meanwhile the ex- 
cited Senator from Missom-i had been 
brought back to his seat ; but, breaking away 
from Senator Dodge he again advanced to- 
ward Foote, who at this time was standing 
near the Vice President's chair. Senator 
Daniel S. Dickinson now induced Foote to 
surrender the weapon which he locked up in 
his seat. 

"I am certain these things should be 
stopped", said Senator Dodge when matters 
had somewhat cooled. "The Senate of the 
United States has heretofore been con- 
sidered as one of the most dignified and 



188 HENRY DODGE 

decorous legislative bodies of men in the 
world, and we owe it to ourselves to vindi- 
cate the Senate from the disrepute, so far 
as it can be done, which attaches to it in con- 
sequence of a scene like this."-^^ On the 
same day the Senate, on Dodge's motion, 
ordered the appointment of a committee of 
seven to investigate and report on the facts 
of the recent disorder. Senator Dodge was 
appointed chairman of this committee, but 
on the next day declined to serve.^^^ 

One of his earliest votes in the Senate was 
in favor of extending the slavery prohibition 
of the Old Northwest Ordinance over the 
Territory of Oregon-^" — a political legacy 
which his own State of Wisconsin had en- 
joyed. In the legislation of 1850 he sup- 
ported the bills for the admission of Cali- 
fornia and for the suppression of the slave 
trade in the District of Columbia ; while his 
vote stands recorded against the Utah and 
New Mexico Bill, the Texas Boundary Bill, 
and the Fugitive Slave Bill.^^^^ 

In his vote on the Compromise measures 
he was scrupulously honest and obedient to 
his constituents. During the debates and 
legislation on these measures the Wisconsin 
Senators were instructed bv a resolution of 



UNITED STATES SENATOR 189 

their legislature to vote against a clause in 
a bill applying to California, which was con- 
strued as admitting slavery. Senator 
Walker, however, disregarded his instruc- 
tions and voted for the measure. Senator 
Dodge, rising from a sick-bed, had himself 
carried to the Senate chamber when the vote 
was to be taken. When his name was called 
he requested the Clerk to read the instruc- 
tions from the legislature of Wisconsin to 
her Senators. When the Clerk finished 
reading he firmly voted ' ' Nay ' '. This action 
was looked upon as a stinging rebuke to 
Walker, whose action retired him from the 
confidence and esteem of the people of Wis- 
consin.^ ^^ 

Henry Dodge saw the population of his 
State more than double during Ms senatorial 
terms. From a new and growing State he 
presented petitions and memorials from his 
constituents. New mail routes were desired ; 
railroad land-grants were requested; and 
applications for pensions for service in the 
Black Hawk War were presented in large 
numbers. Memorials from Indian tribes 
were sent him; while other petitions dealt 
with such matters as the saline lands, min- 
eral lands, the improvement of the naviga- 



190 HENRY DODGE 

tion of rivers, and the construction of 
harbors. 

Senator Dodge served faithfully upon the 
Committee on Commerce as well as on the 
Committee on the Militia — for the latter of 
which he possessed superior qualifications. 
The improvement of the Fox and Wisconsin 
rivers was a subject which absorbed much of 
his time and interest. This improvement 
was to connect the Mississippi and the St. 
Lawrence rivers. ''In a military point of 
view", he said, "I have ever regarded it as 
adding to the means of defense and protec- 
tion of that portion of the frontier 

It will enhance the value of the public do- 
main, and enable this Government to sell 
millions of acres which it could not other- 
wise dispose of."^*^" 

On January 20, 1850, Henry Dodge was 
reelected United States Senator against 
James D. Doty for the full term of six j^ears 
from March 4, 1851. This election, in which 
the vote stood sixty-nine to seven, was 
Dodge's last contest with his old time Whig 
rival.^"^ 

To the Kansas-Nebraska Bill he could not 
give his assent and his vote with those of 
Senators Chase, Seward, Sumner, and Wade 



UNITED STATES SENATOR 191 

is recorded against the measure. The vote, 
however, of Augustus Caesar Dodge, his son, 
who had sat with him in the Senate since 
December, 1848, was cast in favor of the bill, 
along with those of Senators Douglas and 
Cass.^«^ 

When the debate over the question con- 
cerning the admission of Kansas was raging 
in 1856, Senator Henry Dodge rose to make 
an explanation. "I have heretofore voted 
against the extension of slavery under the 
instructions of my Legislature", he said. 
"I shall continue to do so. Although I have 
seen much to approve in the bill reported by 
the Coixanittee on Territories, and really 
think it is well calculated to give peace to the 
people of Kansas, I shall vote against it ; for 
as long as I represent the people of Wiscon- 
sin, and as long as their Legislature, which 
sends me here, instructs me, as it has done 
ever since I have been a member of this body, 
for eight years, I feel bound to conform my 
action to their instructions, or resign my 
position. I shall vote against the bill. ' "'" 

Neither the historian nor the eulogist can 
find in Dodge's career as a United States 
Senator a subject for extended treatment. 
No great compromises or statutes are linked 



192 HENRY DODGE 

with Ms name; and Ms longest speeches as 
preserved in the Congressional Glol)e do not 
occupy a full column. His training and tal- 
ents fitted him for military life and adminis- 
tration rather than for the more abstract 
work of statesmanship and legislation. He 
cannot be given rank as a great Senator ; he 
belongs rather to that class of Senators who 
are industrious and capable, and who have 
regard for their oath of office in wMch they 
promise to perform their duties to the best 
of their abilities. 



XV 

Character and Services 

When Henry Dodge retired from the 
United States Senate in 1857 he was an old 
man. President Pierce had offered him the 
governorship of Washington Territory ; but 
this honor he declined,^*'^ feeling that the 
labors of v^ar and the burdens of peace for 
seventy-five years entitled him to spend the 
evening of his days in rest and retirement. 
The last years of his life find him at his old 
home in Wisconsin and at the home of his 
son Augustus Caesar in Burlington, Iowa. 

The nation which he had served in arms 
and in administration he saw pass through 
its last crisis — the end of secession and of 
slavery — out of which emerged the inde- 
structible union of States. In 1865 Christi- 
ana Dodge, his wife and companion for 
sixty-five years, died at Burlington.^'*^" Two 
years later on the 19th of June, 1867, Colonel 
Henry Dodge died at Burlington in the 
eighty-fifth year of his age. 

13 ^'' 



194 HENRY DODGE 

Considering the career of Henry Dodge 
in its length, extent, and character one can 
see a blending of many characteristics — 
from those of a hard-working pioneer to 
those of a member of the upper branch of 
Congress. To a considerable extent, there- 
fore, his personal, civil, and military career 
discloses a cross-sectional view of life in the 
West in the first half of the nineteenth cen- 
tury. 

From his long out-door life and his mili- 
tar}^ experience Colonel Dodge acquired an 
erect, soldier-like carriage and bearing as 
well as a strong, healthy constitution. "I 
was introduced to him at ff. Q^^. yester- 
day", wrote an observer in 1832. ''He is 
perhaps forty years old — about 5 feet 8 or 
9 inches high — strong framed — with 
rather pleasing features, indicating decision 
of character without severity — He is said 
to possess great personal bravery ".-*^*^ 

Experience and latent ability somewhat 
compensated for his almost total lack of an 
early academic education. His letters and 
public papers, though somewhat chaotic in 
their punctuation and frequently phonetic 
in their spelling, exhibit, nevertheless, a 
clearness and directness of style. No one 



CHARACTER AND SERVICES 195 

can read his gubernatorial messages, liis 
military orders, or his speeches without feel- 
ing that the author of them had a mind which 
composed with logic, directness, and pur- 
pose. 

Among the positive elements of his char- 
acter may be mentioned his personal and of- 
ficial integrity, which in a long period of 
service and in a very partisan era seems 
never to have been impeached. Firmness 
and fidelity of purpose, as well as a capacity 
to work constantly toward a goal, is well 
shown in his Indian campaigns. His power 
to judge of the usefulness and the capacity 
of others contributed largely to the success 
of his administrative appointments. A self- 
confidence, sometimes bordering on egotism, 
gave considerable propulsion to his conduct ; 
while in his military experience there are 
many instances of his tact and ability for 
leadership. 

Toned and tempered in the atmosphere 
of Jacksonian Democracy, Henry Dodge's 
stock of political ideas offers comparisons 
and contrasts to those of the representative 
of that popular movement. Faith in the 
West and in its people and an intuitive 
knowledge of their needs contributed to his 



196 HENRY DODGE 

success as a public man. Precise conclusions 
and even clefiniteness are lacking in his atti- 
tude toward the great questions of the tariff, 
public improvements, currency, and bank- 
ing. His comparative freedom from parti- 
sanshij) and his harmonious relations with 
his co-workers present, however, a striking 
contrast to the spoils system and to the many 
political quarrels of the Jacksonian reign. 

Intimate personal and political relations 
with Senator Benton since 1815 helped to 
shape the Congressional career of Henry 
Dodge. A common devotion to the needs 
and the ideals of the West and to Jacksonian 
principles of Democracy, as well as a long 
residence in Missouri, often drew the two 
men together. Unlike the Missouri states- 
man, however, in neither education nor 
temperament was Dodge equipped with the 
liberal horizon or the power of scholarly re- 
search for attacking the problems before the 
American Congress. 

Although long and well acquainted with 
the institution in Missouri, slavery had 
never become a part of his social psychology. 
Some of his slaves in Missouri accompanied 
him to Illinois and to Michigan Territory 
and there remained devoted and faithful 



CHARACTER AND SERVICES 197 

members of his houseliold. And, tlioiigh he 
had no direct acquaintance with the many 
repugnant features of the institution, his 
views on the subject kept pace with those of 
the people of Wisconsin. His vote, for ex- 
ample, on the Compromise measures and the 
Kansas-Nebraska Bill was in accord with 
the wishes of his constituents. 

At AYashington his services neither as a 
Delegate nor as a Senator disclose in Dodge 
any special capacity for or application to 
the abstract questions of statesmanship and 
legislation. Moreover, it does not appear 
that Judge Doty, with more scholarly tastes 
and capacities, was the equal of Dodge in the 
abilitv to handle and to solve the more con- 
Crete questions which grew out of a pioneei* 
environment. Here was a fitting field foi' 
Dodge in securing lead-mining rights, In- 
dian treaties, preemption laAvs, the organ- 
ization of the militia, protection from 
Indian dangers, and the inauguration of 
local civil governments. These labors were 
beyond question attended with greater re- 
sults than were his efforts in Congress. 

Upon the Illinois and Wisconsin frontiers 
Henry Dodge, like thousands of other set- 
tlers and miners, had settled upon the pub- 



198 HENRY DODGE 

lie domain in the Indian eountry in viola- 
tion of Federal laws and in defiance of 
marshals, district attorneys, and Indian 
agents. His son in referring to this in the 
Senate in 1854 said : "He has had these laws, 
with the proclamations of the United States 
officers, read to himself and neighbors, when 
upon the Indian country in Wisconsin, more 
than a quarter of a century ago, command- 
ing him and them to abandon the settlements 
they had made. He disregarded the man- 
date of those officers, threw up a stockade 
fort, provided himself and neighbors with 
several hundred guns, and announced that 
if the officers and soldiers of the regular 
Army desired to expel him they could come 
and try it. " ''' 

Such practices — impelled of course by 
land-hunger and the desire for mineral 
wealth — hardly harmonize with Henry 
Dodge's views on nullification. Writing 
from Washington in 1833, when the Tariff 
Bill and the Force Bill were creatino- omi- 
nous threats, he said: "If a state can set 
aside a law of the Union, our existence as a 
federal government, would be of short 
duration. . . . The majority must rule, and 
if they do injustice to the minority, which to 



CHARACTER AND SERVICES 199 

be sure is a state of things greatly to be re- 
gretted, yet it would be a safer depository of 
power, than to permit the minority to dictate 
a course to the majority." ^^^ 

Henry Dodge's main contributions to 
western development and State-building are 
worked out in his careers as an Indian cam- 
paigner and as a Territorial executive. It 
is in these two capacities that he was able to 
apply with directness and marked efficiency 
his knowledge of and experience on the Mis- 
sissippi frontier. Even among his con- 
temporaries he was known by his past ex- 
ecutive and military titles rather than by 
the legislative titles that he had borne. The 
survival of the title "Governor" is at least 
significant. 

Colonel Dodge never participated in a war 
with a foreign power, but the results of his 
Indian campaigns give him an honored 
place among the leaders against the Red 
Men. Here his knowledge of Indian char- 
acter and warfare won him a deserved popu- 
lar confidence. Waiving technical obstacles 
in the Black Hawk War he pursued Black 
Hawk's band with a persistence which has- 
tened the successful close of that conflict. 
Strict in discipline and tactful in his deal- 



200 HENRY DODGE 

ings he won the praise of his superiors for 
the success of his far western expeditions 
of treaty-making and exploration. 

As Superintendent of Indian Affairs his 
duties were not so arduous as were those of 
Governors Lucas and Chambers in the 
neighboring Territory of Iowa. His letters 
to the Commissioners of Indian Affairs 
show a sound knowledge and deep interest 
in such subjects as annuities, Indian schools, 
agencies, and the duties of Indian Agents. 
His activity in the negotiation of Indian 
treaties is indicated by the large number of 
compacts upon which his signature stands 
appended either as a commissioner or as a 
witness. 

It is in the eight years of his Governorship 
that Henry Dodge reaches the zenith of his 
career as a public man. To this office he 
brought a record of long and efficient mili- 
tary service, a wide knowledge of frontier 
civilization, and ideas adapted to its increas- 
ing population and its political progress. 
Furthermore, in the evolution of the other 
Territories of the Old Northwest and in the 
administrations of their Governors he found 
and made use of organic laws, judicial de- 
cisions, and a mass of legislation. With 



CHARACTER AND SERVICES 201 

these pointing the way governing became 
easier and surer. 

Without any profound knowledge or 
training in constitutional forms and in law- 
making, Governor Dodge has nevertheless 
left his impress upon Territorial legislation. 
Seemingly a strict constructionist at bottom, 
he did not read into the Organic Act a liter- 
alness which would render it incompati)3le 
with his own notions of the sphere of the 
executive authority. Inspired by the ex- 
ample of Andrew Jackson, Governor Dodge 
did not hesitate to use the veto power with a 
firm and efficient hand. From the beginning 
he demonstrated that the executive was an 
active part of the legislative power. A 
reading of his messages discloses that they 
served as real and effective guides to the 
Territorial legislature. His use of the veto 
power on such subjects as the location of 
county seats, county boundaries, and upon 
bills designed to promote speculation op- 
erated as a check to crude and unwise legis- 
lation. Then too, a personality long used to 
command was bound to make itself felt in 
legislative leadership. 

With his rough-and-ready common sense 
Governor Dodge's administration was har- 



202 HENRY DODGE 

monious. The pioneer legislators, coming as 
they did from various sections of the Union, 
representing widely separated regions, and 
bringing with them diverse and often con- 
flicting political policies, had need of an ex- 
ecutive who could harmonize the legislative 
machinery. This spirit of cooperation 
stands in marked relief to the discordant 
features of Governor Doty's administration 
which was perhaps the stormiest of all the 
administrations of the Governors of the Old 
Northwest. 

Besides representing the dignity and 
authority of the National govermnent, the 
Governor was vested by the Organic Act of 
the Territory with extensive appointive 
powers.^*^'' With the advice and consent of 
the Council he appointed all judicial of- 
ficers of the townships and counties, sheriffs, 
and some of the militia officers. Vacancies 
in these offices were also temporarily filled 
by executive appointments. Here as well as 
in the legislative department his policy met 
the approval of the Council and conduced 
to the efficiency and responsibility of the 
local government in the Territory. 

From an historical retrospect the office of 
Territorial Governor in the late thirties and 



CHARACTER AND SERVICES 203 

forties would seem to equal in importance 
those of the provincial and colonial execu- 
tives of the eighteenth century. The area 
to be governed was generally vaster, the 
problems of administration as complex, and 
the dangers from Indians fully as great. 
Both were the dominant influence in the gov- 
ernment. And, as the administrations of the 
pre-Revolutionary Governors were training 
schools for the founders of the Republic, so 
the governments in the Territories of the Old 
Northwest bequeathed to the West a power 
and influence which made it a dominating 
factor in National affairs. 

On the death of Governor Dodge the State 
Historical Society of Wisconsin adopted 
resolutions extolling his character and his 
long official services which "have secured for 
him to all time the grateful remembrance of 
the people of this State ' '.''" Five days after 
his death Governor Lucius Fairchild paid 
public tribute to Governor Dodge in these 
^ords : — "A brave and accomplished soldier, 
an enlightened and incorruptible statesman 
— General Dodge was for many years recog- 
nized as one of the most distinguished lead- 
ers in the nation. Too brave to be other than 
he seemed, too honest to be a demagogue, his 



204 HENRY DODGE 

career was characterized by a manly inde- 
pendence in doing right, which won for him 
the confidence of the whole people. "^^^ 

In 1870 the legislature of the State of Wis- 
consin passed an act to perpetuate his 
memory, declaring that the State was called 
upon to recognize in some permanent form 
honorable to the State the "sterling quali- 
ties and eminent services" of the late Gov- 
ernor Dodge. The act provided for the con- 
struction of a bust of the finest marble, not 
to exceed $20,000 in cost. This bust was 
executed by the sculptor E. P. Knowles, and 
the completed work was placed in the Gov- 
ernor's room of the Wisconsin Capitol.^ '^ 

He served his own generation by the 
WILL OF GoD.^'^^ Thus reads the epitaph on 
his monument overlooking the Father of 
Waters at Burlington. It is a fitting resting- 
place for the man. The strong and ceaseless 
flow of the great Mississippi symbolizes his 
aggressive j)ioneer spirit. Its turbulent 
waves from the north reecho forever the 
tales of his Indian conflicts and conquests. 
And in its more peaceful moods it reflects his 
civil and military career during which he 
helped to make and to mould two mighty 
Mississippi Valley Commonwealths. 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 



205 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 

CHAPTER I 

^ Most of the facts in this chapter are gleaned from 
the following sources: — 

Theron Royal Woodward's Dodge Genealogy. The 
author is a descendant of the Dodge family and his 
book contains an exhaustive register of all the de- 
scendants of the Dodge line. 

Robert Dodge's Tristram Dodge and Descendants. 
Besides the genealogical material this book contains 
sketches of Henry Dodge and a brief history of Block 
Island. 

William Salter's A Heroine of the Revolution: 
Nancy Ann Hunter in the Iowa Historical Record, 
for April, 1886, Vol. II, No. 2, pp. 258-264. 

Manuscript Notes by Augustus Caesar Dodge for 
an historical address delivered before the old settlers 
of Clark County, Missouri, in the fall of 1883. The 
writer was given access to these notes by the late Rev. 
William Salter of Burlington, Iowa. 

^Richman's Rhode Island, pp. 6, 7. 

2 Dodge 's Tristram Dodge and Descendants, p. 204. 

^Woodward's Dodge Genealogy, pp. 7-11. 

^Woodward's Dodge Genealogy, p. 11. 

« Woodward's Dodge Genealogy, pp. 16-18. 

^ Dodge 's Manuscript Notes. 

^Dodge's Manuscript Notes. 

207 



208 HENRY DODGE 

'^ Judge John Law's The Colonial History of Vin- 
cennes, pp. 24-37. 

'^° Narrative of Mr. John Dodge During his Cap- 
tivity at Detroit, edited by Clarence Monroe Burton, 
pp. 14-16. 

" Collections of the Illiiiois State Historical Li- 
brary, Vol. II, edited by Clarence W. Alvord, Vir- 
ginia Series, Vol. I, p. xcv. 

^^ Narrative of Mr. John Dodge During his Cap- 
tivity at Detroit, edited by Clarence Munroe Burton, 
p. 34. 

^^ Thwaites and Kellogg 's TJte Revolution on the 
Upper Ohio, 1775-1777, p. 143. 

^* English's Conquest of the Northwest, 1778-1783, 
Vol. II, p. 736. 

" As we had suffered already from the simple asser- 
tions of obscure persons, one of whom John Dodge, was 
known by several Virginians to be an unprincipled and 
perjured renegade, and as we had experienced the in- 
humanity of the executive power. ' ' — Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor Henry Hamilton's statement in The Haldimand 
Papers printed in the Michigan Pioneer Collections, 
Vol. IX, p. 512. 

^^ From a letter dated August 25, 1787, by Father 
Peter Heut de la Valiniere to Charles Thomson, Sec- 
retary of Congress, printed in the Hlinois Historical 
Collections, Virginia Series, Vol. II, Cahokia Records, 
1778-1790, pp. 424-428. 

^® Dodge's Manuscript Notes. 

^"^ Thwaites's Early Lead-Mining in Hlinois and 



23 



24 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 209 

Wisconsin in the Annual Report of the American 
Historical Association, 1893, p. 193. 

^^Houck's The Spanish Regime in Missouri, Vol. 
II, pp. 293, 294. 

^^ American State Papers, Public Lands, Vol VIII, 
pp. 105, 106. 

-" Dodge 's Manuscript Notes. 

" This story is found in Dodge's Manuscript Notes. 

^2 Gayarre 's History of Louisiana, Vol. Ill, p. 406. 

Dodge's Manuscript Notes. 

History of Southeast Missouri (1888), p. 310. 

-^"A few days after the birth of the child, a 
Piankeshaw chief came in, and said that it could not 
be allowed to live in their country, and he would 
dash out its brains. The mother plead for the life of 
her first born. Moses Henry explained that it was 
the 'papoose' of a friend of his, whose 'squaw' was 
sojourning in his house — that the child was born 
out of due time, while the mother was on her way to 
her people, and that they would soon go on their 
journey. These expostulations prevailed, the chief at 
the same time saying 'nits make lice; this little nit 
may grow to be a big louse and bite us;' a prophecy 
which came true. In gratitude to her benefactor, 
Mrs. Dodge gave his [that of Moses Henry] full 
name to the child, which he retained until he was 
grown, when he adopted the single name, Henry." — 
Salter's A Heroine of the Revolution: Nancy Ann 
Hunter in the loiva Historical Record, Vol. II, No. 
2, pp. 261, 262. 

14 



210 HENRY DODGE 

^^ Salter's A Heroine of the Revolution: Nancy Ann 
Hunter in the Iowa Historical Record, Vol. II, No. 2, 
p. 263. 

^^Houck's The Spanish Regime in Missouri, Vol. 
II, p. 295. 

-^ Dodge's Manuscript Notes. 

CHAPTER II 

-^ Shambaugh's Documentary Material Relating to 
the History of Iowa, Vol. I, p. 19. 

^° History of Southeast Missouri, pp. 310-315. This 
is an anonymous work compiled in 1888 by the Good- 
speed Publishing Company of Chicago. 

^^ Isidor Loeb in the Missouri Historical Quarterly, 
Vol. I, p. 63. 

^2 History of Southeast Missouri, pp. 310, 311. 

^^ History of Southeast Missouri, pp. 311, 312. 

^* Darby's Personal Recollections, pp. 87, 88. 

.^^ Salter's Henry Dodge in the Iowa Historical 
Record, Vol. V, No. 4, pp. 342, 343. 

^'^Houck's A History of Missouri, Vol. Ill, p. 67. 

^^ History of Southeast Missouri, pp. 312, 313. 

^^ The complete list of the commissions is as fol- 
lows : — 

1. Lieutenant of Militia in the District of Ste. 
Oenevieve ; signed by James Wilkinson, Governor and 
Commander in Chief of the Territory of Louisiana, 
and Joseph Browne, Secretary, May 10, 1806. 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 211 

2. Adjutant of the Militia in the District of Ste. 
Genevieve; signed by James Wilkinson, Governor, 
etc., July 17, 1806. This commission also bears the 
oath of office sworn to by H. Dodge before Jno. Smith, 
T., March 2, 1807. 

3. First Lieutenant of Ste. Genevieve Troop of 
Cavalry ; signed by Frederick Bates, Secretary of the 
Territory of Louisiana, and exercising as well the 
government thereof as the office of Commander in 
Chief of the militia of said Territory, St. Louis, 
August 14, 1807. 

4. Captain of Ste. Genevieve Troop of Cavalry; 
signed by Meriwether Lewis, Governor and Com- 
mander in Chief of the Territory of Louisiana, and 
F. Bates, Secretary, July 10, 1809. 

5. Marshal for the Territory of Missouri ; notifi- 
cation of appointment by President IMadison; signed 
by James Monroe, Secretary of State, August 10, 1813. 

6. Sheriff of the County of Ste. Genevieve ; signed 
by William Clark, Governor of the Territory of ]\Iis- 
souri, and F. Bates, Secretary, October 1, 1813. 

7. Brigadier General of the ]\Iissouri Territory, to 
rank as such from the 17th of January, 1814 ; signed 
by James Madison, President of the United States, 
and J. Armstrong, Secretary of War, Washington, 
April 16, 1814. 

8. Sheriff of the County of Ste. Genevieve ; signed 
by Wm. Clark, Governor of the Territory of Mis- 
souri, and F. Bates, Secretary, September 30, 1815. 

9. Marshal for the District of Missouri; notifica- 
tion of appointment by President Madison; signed 
by John Graham, Chief Clerk of the Department of 
State, February 25, 1817. 



212 HENRY DODGE 

10. Marshal in and for the Missouri District for 
four years; signed by James Monroe, President, and 
John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State, April 25, 
1822. 

11. Major General of the Second Division Mis- 
souri Militia; signed by Alexander McNair, Governor 
of the State of Missouri, and Wm. G. Pettus, Secre- 
tary of State, St. Charles, May 8, 1822. 

12. Marshal of the United States in and for the 
District of Missouri for four years from April 25, 
1826 ; signed by J. Q. Adams, President, and Henry 
Clay, Secretary of State, December 22, 1825. 

13. Chief Justice of the County Court in and for 
the County of Iowa for four years from December 1, 
1829 ; signed by Lewis Cass, Governor of the Terri- 
tory of Michigan, and J. Witherell. Secretary; De- 
troit, October 14, 1829. 

14. Colonel in the Militia of the Territory of 
Michigan; signed by Lewis Cass, Governor, October 
15, 1829. 

15. Major of the Battalion of Mounted Rangers, 
to rank from June 21, 1832 ; signed by Andrew Jack- 
son, President, and Lewis Cass, Secretary of War, 
June 22, 1832. 

16. Colonel of the Regiment of Dragoons, to rank 
from the 4th of IMarch, 1833 ; signed by Andrew Jack- 
son, President, and Lewis Cass, Secretary of War, 
May 10, 1834. 

17. Governor of the Territory of Wisconsin for 
three years from July 3, 1836; signed by Andrew 
Jackson, President, and John Fors\i;h, Secretary of 
State, April 30, 1836. 

18. Governor of the Territory of Wisconsin for 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 213 

three years from July 3, 1839; signed by M. Van 
Buren, President, and John Forsyth, Secretary of 
State, March 9, 1839. 

19. Governor of the Territory of Wisconsin for 
three years from February 3, 1846 ; signed by James 
K. Polk, President, and James Buchanan, Secretary 
of State, February 3, 1846.— loiva Historical Record, 
Vol. V, No. 4, pp. 338-340. 

^'•^Niles's Weekly Register, Vol. Ill, pp. 142, 143. 

^''An account of the enrollment of the JMissouri 
Territorial militia is to be found in Houck's A His- 
tory of Missouri, Vol. Ill, pp. 103-108. 

" The facts and the narrative concerning this cam- 
paign are based on notes by Dr. Lyman C. Draper of 
Madison, Wisconsin, who constructed them from in- 
formation furnished by Henry Dodge in 1855. — See 
the Iowa Historical Record, Vol. V, No. 4, pp. 359-361. 

*^ Kappler's Indian Affairs, Laivs and Treaties, Vol. 
II, pp. 112-115. 

*^ Houck's A History of Missouri, Vol. Ill, pp. 
248-250. 

CHAPTEE III 

** Houck's A History of Missouri, Vol. Ill, pp. 190, 
191. 

*^ The facts and the quotation in this paragraph 
are taken from Salter's Henry Dodge in the loiva 
Historical Record, Vol. V, No. 4, pp. 346, 347. 

^•"'1 knew him [Augustus Caesar Dodge] when he 
helped to eordel the keel boat which conveyed his 



214 HENRY DODGE 

father and his family from St. Mary's Landing Mis- 
souri to Galena Illinois in March 1827, he pulling at 
the cordel with his father, brother Henry L & his 
fathers negro slaves. ' ' — From a letter by George W. 
Jones to Charles Aldrieh, dated June 1, 1890, and 
preserved in the Historical Department at Des Moines, 
Iowa. 

^^ A more detailed account of this journey may be 
found in the third chapter of the author's Augustus 
Caesar Dodge. 

•'^Niles's Weekly Register, Vol. XXXIV, p. 344. 

*^ From a letter by Joseph Montfort Street at 
Prairie du Chien to Dr. Alexander Posey, dated De- 
cember 11, 1827, and preserved in the Historical De- 
partment at Des Moines, Iowa. 

^•^ Salter's Henry Dodge in the loiva Historical 
Record, Vol. V, No. 2, pp. 349, 350. 

^^ Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. IV, p. 181. 

^^ Salter 's Henry Dodge in the loiva Historical 
Record, Vol. V, No. 4, p. 350. 

^^ Salter's Henry Dodge in the loiva Historical 
Record, Vol. V, No. 4, pp. 350, 351. 

^* This letter is printed in Salter's Henry Dodge in 
the Iowa Historical Record, Vol. V, No. 4, pp. 351, 
352. 

Morgan L. Martin, who made a tour through these 
mining districts, wrote concerning it after a lapse of 
fifty-nine years: "Our first objective point was 
Dodgeville, where Henry Dodge had started a 'dig- 
gings'. We found his cabins surrounded by a 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 215 

formidable stockade, and the miners liberally sup- 
plied with ammunition. The Winnebagoes had threat- 
ened to oust the little colony, and were displaying an 
ugly disposition. Dodge entertained us at his cabin, 
the walls of which were well covered with guns. He 
said that he had a man for every gun and would not 
leave the country unless the Indians were stronger 
than he." — Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. XI, 
p. 397. 

^^ Kappler 's Indian Affairs, Laivs and Treaties,. 
Vol. II, pp. 300-303. Three days before he had wit- 
nessed a treaty with the Chippewas likewise negoti- 
ated at Prairie du Chien. 

^^ Salter 's Henry Dodge in the Iowa Historical 
Record, Vol. V, No. 4, p. 353. 

On July 4, 1829, he participated in a patriotic 
celebration at Mineral Point and officiated as Presi- 
dent of the Day. The next month he was elected 
Chief Justice of Iowa County, which the Legislative 
Assembly of Michigan Territory had created a short 
time before. — Galena Advertiser, Vol. I, Nos. 4, 8, 
August 10 and September 7, 1829. 

" Letter of Henry Dodge dated February 10, 1829, 
to Delegate Austin E. Wing, printed in Smith's 
History of Wisconsin, Part I, Vol. I, pp. 431, 432. 

^« Salter's Henry Dodge in the loiva Historical 
Record, Vol. V, No. 4, p. 355 ; and A Record of the 
Commemoration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the 
Settlement of loiva, pp. 87, 88. 

59 This public letter is printed in Salter's Henry 



216 HENRY DODGE 

Dodge in the Iowa Historical Record, Vol. V, No. 4, 
pp. 355, 356. 

""Printed in Salter's Henry Dodge in the Iowa 
Historical Record, Vol. V, No. 4, pp. 356-358. 



CHAPTER IV 

®^ Kappler's Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, Vol. 
II, pp. 132, 133. 

^^ Kappler's Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, Vol. 
II, pp. 250-255. 

"^ This statement of causes is taken from a letter by 
Joseph M. Street to Dr. Alexander Posey, dated 
December 11, 1827. The letter is written from 
Prairie du Chien where for many years Street was 
Indian Agent. The letter is found in the Street Col- 
lection in the Historical Department at Des Moines, 
Iowa. 

*** Strong 's The Indian Wars of Wisconsin in the 
Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. VIII, p. 253. 

«^ Stevens's Black Hawk War, pp. 72, 73. 

"^ An extended account of this incident is Snelling's 
Early Days at Prairie du Chien and the Winnebago 
Outbreak of 1827 in the Wisconsin Historical Collec- 
tions, Vol. V, pp. 123-153. 

•*^ Mrs. Adele P. Gratiot in the Wisconsin Historical 
Collections, Vol. X, p. 270. 

*^* Letter dated August 26, 1827, and printed in the 
Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. V, pp. 157, 158. 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 217 

•■'» Salter's Henry Dodge in the loiva Historical 
Record, Vol. V, No. 4, p. 349. 

"" Quoted from Strong's The Indian Wars of Wis- 
consin in the Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. 
VIII, p. 261. Most of the facts of this campaign are 
gleaned from this article. 

^^ Red Bird died in prison at Prairie dn Chien. 
His two accomplices were indicted, tried, convicted, 
and sentenced to be hanged on December 26, 1828. On 
November 3, 1828, they were pardoned by President 
Adams.— Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory, 
pp. 130, 131. 

'- Wisconsin Historical Collections,Yo\.YV\\, p. 265. 

"Kappler's Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, 
Vol. II, pp. 300-303. 

'* Thwaites's The Story of the Black Hawk War in 
the Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. XII, pp. 
217-265; also Ford's History of Illinois, pp. 109, 110. 

"His passions were many, but the consuming pas- 
sion of his life was hatred of the Americans, a hatred 
without cause and as unjustifiable and unreasonable 
as man's baser passions are always found to be. Yet 
this may not be surprising, fed as he was by his de- 
vouring gloom and restless, war-like spirit. The 
mantle of charity has many a time before and since 
covered graver faults; so let it be with Black Hawk's, 
for it is said of him that in his domestic life he was 
a kind husband and father, and in his transactions 
with his people he was upright and honest, if he was 
not ambitious for their elevation." — Stevens's Black 
Hawk War, p. 21. 



218 HENRY DODGE 

" Kappler's Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, Vol. 
II, pp. 74-77. 

^'^ Kappler 's Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, Vol. 
II, pp. 126-128. 

^■^ Kappler 's Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, Vol. 
II, pp. 250-255. 

''^ Ford's History of Illinois, p. 111. The main facts 
in the narrative of this campaign are taken from this 
volume, the author of which, Thomas Ford, was a 
participant and later Governor of Illinois. 

^^ The text of the treaty is printed in Stevens's 
Black Hawk War, pp. 96-98. 

^"Quoted in Strong's History of Wisconsin Terri- 
tory, p. 132. 

CHAPTER V 

^^ The principal sources from which this chapter 
has been constructed are as follows: — 

I. Histories and Biographies 

1. Stevens's Black Hatvk War. This is the most 
exhaustive and detailed treatment of this subject ex- 
tant. 

2. Stevens's Wakefield's History of the Black 
Hawk War. This is a reprint of John Allen Wake- 
field's book published in 1834. Wakefield was a sur- 
geon and a scout in this war and attained the rank 
of Major. 

3. Salter's Henry Dodge. Chapter II in the Iowa 
Historical Record, Vol. VI, No. 1, contains a mass of 
facts and original material. 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 219 

4. Ford's History of Illinois. The author was a 
participant in this war and later Governor of Illinois. 
The author attempts to show that not Dodge but 
Henry was the real hero of the war. 

5. Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory. About 
twenty pages are devoted to the war by a competent 
hand. 

6. Smith's History of Wisconsin, Vols. I and II. 
This is an excellent collection of both secondary and 
source material. 

7. The Great Indian Chief of the West: Or, Life 
and Adventures of Black Hawk, published anony- 
mously at Philadelphia in 1855. 

8. Life of Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak or Black 
Hawk. Ford on page 110 of his history declares that 
this "was got up from the statements of Mr. Antoine 
Le Clere and Col. Davenport, and was written by a 
printer, and was never intended for anything but a 
catch-penny publication. ' ' 

9. Elliott's Black Hawk and Mexican War Rec- 
ords. This contains a roster of the Illinois troops in 
the war. 

10. Thwaites's Wisconsin in the American Com- 
monwealth Series. 

11. Fulton's The Bed Men of loiva containing an 
account of the war and a sketch of Black Hawk. 

II. Special Articles 

1. Thwaites's The Story of the Black Haivk War 
in the Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. XII, pp. 
217-265. 

2. Strong's The Indian Wars of Wisconsin in the 
Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. VIII, pp. 



220 HENRY DODGE 

241-286. This is reprinted in that author's History of 
Wisconsifi Territory. 

3. Parkinson's Pioneer Life in Wisconsin in the 
Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. II, pp. 326-364. 

4. Pecatonica Battle Controversy in the Wiscon- 
sin Historical Collections, Vol. II, pp. 365-392. 

III. Miscellaneous 

1. The Galenian (Galena, Illinois) in the posses- 
sion of the Chicago Historical Society. This was a 
weekly edited by Addison Philleo who served in the 
war. It was the only paper then published in Illinois 
north of Springfield. 

2. A Record of the Commemoration of the Fiftieth 
Anniversary of the Settlement of Iowa. Published 
at Burlington in 1883, 

3. Manuscript collections in the library of the 
Wisconsin Historical Society. 

4. A Diary of the Black Hawk War in The Iowa 
Journal of History and Politics, Vol. VIII, pp. 265- 
269. The authorship of this diary, edited by Dr. John 
Carl Parish, has not been ascertained. 

5. Autobiographical Manuscript by George Wal- 
lace Jones, a copy of which is in the Library of The 
State Historical Society of Iowa. 

^-Thwaites's The Black Hawk War in the Wiscon- 
sin Historical Collections, Vol. XII, pp. 230, 231. 

^=* This letter is printed in Stevens's Wakefield's 
History of the Black Hawk War, pp. 35, 36. 

^* The proclamation is printed in Stevens's Wake- 
field's History of the Black Hawk War, pp. 36, 37. 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 221 

«^ Stevens's WaU field's History of the Black Hawk 
War, pp. 41, 44, 45. 

^® Elliott 's Black Haivk and Mexican War Records, 
p. xvii. 



87 



Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory, p. 135. 

^^ The Galenian (Galena, Illinois) for May and 
June, 1832. 

^^ Salter's Henry Dodge in the Iowa Historical 
Record, Vol. VI, No. 1, p. 393. 

^" This letter was written from Mineral Point and 
is printed in Smith's History of Wisconsin, Part I, 
Vol. I, p. 417. 

^^ Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory, p. 135. 

Colonel Daniel M. Parkison says there were "about 
fifty men" in this party. — Wiscorisin Historical Col- 
lections, Vol. II, p. 337. 

^^ The Galenian (Galena, Illinois), Vol. I, No. 3, 
May 16, 1832. 

^^ A Record of the Commemoration of the Fiftieth 
Anniversary of the Settlement of loiva, p. 72. 

"* This talk is printed in Smith 's History of Wis- 
consin, Part I, Vol. I, pp. 416, 417. 

^^ The complete story of this adventure as told by 
the captives themselves may be found in Stevens's 
Black Haivk War, pp. 150-154. 

^® Smith's History of Wisconsin, Part I, Vol. I, pp. 
418, 419. 

^\Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. II, pp. 339- 
341. 



222 HENRY DODGE 

^^ Printed in Smith 's History of Wisconsin, Part I, 
Vol. I, pp. 420-422. 

^^ Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. II, pp. 341- 
843. 

100 Prom a letter to Dr. Addison Philleo printed in 
The Galenian (Galena, Illinois), Vol. I, No. 8, June 
20, 1832. 

^°^"From that time [spring of 1831] we were 
mining and farming near Platteville and doing pretty 
well until the summer of 1832, when the Black Hawk 
War interrupted our work, as every man had to turn 
out, join some company, and go hunting after Indians. 
Lucius and I joined different companies, he that of 
Captain Gentry under Colonel Dodge and I enlisted 
in the company of Captain Craig under Colonel 
Stephenson. We put into the service five horses ; and 
some of them did better fighting than I did, for only 
two of them came out of the war alive, the best one 
having been killed at the Battle of Bad Axe at the 
mouth of Black River on the INIississippi River. I 
had been mining and hunting Indians alternately all 
summer, but fortunately never found any Indians 
and unfortunately found no mineral." — The Lang- 
worthys of Early Dubuque and their Contributions 
to Local History, edited by Dr. John Carl Parish, in 
The loiva Journal of History and Politics for July, 
1910. The quotation is found on pages 348, 349. 

i°- Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory, p. 141. 

"3 The full report is printed in Smith's History of 
Wisconsin, Part II, Vol. Ill, pp. 195-199. 
104 Ford's History of Illinois, p. 128. 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 223 

105 Thwaites's The Story of the Black Haivk War in 
the Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. XII pp 
246, 247. 

^°^ At Galena the ladies presented him with colors 
for his regiment and the Colonel responded with 
thanks, dating his reply June 25, 1832, from Fort 
Union. 

^" Stevens's Black Hawk War, p. 183. 

^o« Thwaites's The Story of the Black Hatvk War in 
the Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. XII, p. 247. 

^°^ Smith's History of Wisconsin, Part I, Vol. I, p. 
277. 

^^^ Ford 's History of Blinois, pp. 135-137. 

"^ Adjutants E. H. Merryman and W. W. Wood- 
bridge and Little Thunder. 

'^'^^ The Galenian (Galena, Illinois), Vol. I, No. 14, 
August 1, 1832. This report was written by Dr. 
Addison Philleo. 

^^^ Wisconsin Historical Collections,Yo\.Xll, p. 256. 

"* This undated account is found among the George 
Hyer papers in the library of the State Historical So- 
ciety of "Wisconsin at Madison. 

The following report of the battle written by Dodge 
on July 22nd is extracted from Niles's Weekly Regis- 
ter, Vol. XLII, No. 1091, August 18, 1832 :— 

"We met the enemy yesterday near the Wisconsin 
river, and opposite the old Sack village, after a close 
pursuit of near 100 miles. Our loss was one man 
killed and eight wounded; from the scalps taken by 



224 HENRY DODGE 

the Winnebagoes, as well as those taken by the whites ; 
and the Indians carried from the field of battle, we 
must have killed 40 of them. The number of wounded 
is not known; we can only judge from the number 
killed that many were wounded. From their crippled 
situation, I think we must overtake them ; unless they 
descend the Wisconsin by water." 

This is the account which gave rise to an endless 
discussion as to the relative claims of Colonel Dodge 
and Brigadier General Henry to be called the hero of 
this war. It should be remembered that the latter had 
the chief command at the battle of Wisconsin Heights. 

115 Printed in Smith's History of Wisconsin, Part I, 
Vol. I, p. 426. 

"** Black Hawk and the Prophet Neapope were 
captured by Chaetar and One-eyed Decorah, two Win- 
nebago braves who on August 27, 1832, delivered them 
to Agent Joseph M. Street at Prairie du Chien. The 
Winnebago, Little Thunder, received the government 
reward of $2,000. — McBride's Capture of Black 
Hawk in the Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. V, 
pp. 293-297 ; see also Wisconsin Historical Collections, 
Vol. VIII, p. 316. 

"^ From the unpublished autobiography of George 
Wallace Jones, a copy of which is in the possession of 
The State Historical Society of Iowa. 

118 rpj^ggg figures are taken from Thwaites's The 
Story of the Black Haivk War in the Wisco7isin His- 
torical Collections, Vol. XII, p. 261. 

119 "Our citizens having been driven by that enemy 
of our race from their mines and farms, [are] forced 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 225 

witli their families, to collect for mutual protection 
into the rude stockades which are scattered over a 
large space of territory, or compelled to take up arms, 
and seek the savage foe in the forests and swamps into 
which they retreat, after committing their murders 
and depredations. Our country, instead of realizing 
the brilliant prospects of wealth and plenty, presents 
the melancholy [spectacle] of deserted cabins, of 
wasted and uncultivated fields. The season for plant- 
ing and raising crops has passed away amidst the 
preparations for defense, and the clash of arms." — 
The Galenian (Galena, Illinois), Vol. I, No. 17, 
August 22, 1832. 

^-"Letter of P. Clayton, Second Auditor in the 
Treasury Department, to Henry Dodge, dated Jan- 
uary 15, 1851, and printed in the Wisconsin Histoncal 
Collections, Vol. V, pp. 285, 286. 

CHAPTEE VI 

^-^ Uriited States Statutes at Large, Vol. IV, p. 533. 

^-- American State Papers, Military Affairs, Vol. V, 
pp. 36, 37. 

^-^ American State Papers, Military Affairs, Vol. V, 
p. 40. 

^-* Dodge's Military Order Book, pp. 4, 5. ''This 
order is given ' ', continues this order, ' ' as well to serve 
for the punishment of drunkenness, as to spare good 
and temperate men, the labor of digging graves for 
their worthless companions." 

This Military Order Book is a manuscript document 
in Henry Dodge's own handwriting, containing his 

15 



226 HENRY DODGE 

military orders and correspondence from August, 
1832, to March, 1836. The orders, issued from widely 
separated points in the Mississippi Valley, are all 
written in ink and are fairly legible, despite the 
seventy-five years that have passed since their writing. 
The Military Order Book is in the possession of the 
Historical Department at Des Moines, Iowa, and all 
references in this volume are to the original and un- 
published source. 

^^^ Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. X, pp. 
231, 232. 

^-^ Dodge's Military Order Book, pp. 7, 8. 

^-^Kappler's Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, 
Vol. II, pp. 345-348. 

^-^Kappler's Indian Affairs, Laivs and Treaties, 
Vol. II, pp. 349-351. 

^-^ Dodge's Military Order Book, pp. 11, 12. 

^^^ Dodge's Military Order Book, p. 29. 

"^Dodge's Military Order Book, pp. 18, 19. 

"2 Dodge 's Military Order Book, pp. 13, 14. 

"^ Dodge's Military Order Book, p. 14. 

^^* Dodge's Military Order Book, pp. 15, 16. 

"'^ Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. II, pp. 341, 
352. 

^'^ A copy of this letter from Dodgeville, dated July 
14, 1833, is to be found in Dodge's Military Order 
Book, pp. 41-46. 

"^ Dodge's Military Order Book, pp 1, 2. 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 907 

"« Dodge's Military Order Book, pp. 47-50. 
^^^ Dodge's Military Order Book, pp. 59, 60. 



CHAPTER VII 



United States Statutes at Large, Vol. IV, p. 652. 

America7i State Papers, Military Affairs, Vol V 
p. 126. > "1- V , 



140 

141 



142 



^ Henry Dodge to Colonel R. Jones, August 28, 
1833, in Dedge's Military Order Book, pp. 60-63. 

"^Salter's Henry Dodge in the Iowa Historical 
Record, Vol. VII, No. 3, p. 102. 

"* Quoted from Hildreth's Dragoon Campaigns to 
the Rocky Mountains, pp. 42, 43. This volume of 288 
pages was published in 1836 and consists of a series of 
letters written by the author, James Hildreth. The 
journey from Buffalo to Jefferson Barracks is de- 
scribed, interesting sketches of life in the barracks are 
given, and the story of the marches from St. Louis to 
Fort Gibson and to the Pawnee Pict village is told 
with many stories and incidents of camp life. 
Sketches of Indian life and scenery form another in- 
teresting feature of the book. 

"^Hildreth's Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky 
Mountains, p. 46. The facts in the description of the 
soldiers and the barracks in the foregoing text are 
taken largely from this work. 

"^Hildreth's Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky 
Mountains, p. 47. 

"Some captains have ordered timber ready hewn 



228 HENRY DODGE 

from St. Louis, and allowed some of the dragoons ex- 
tra pay (although merely a nominal sum) for their 
labor; but others have made their men cross the 
Mississippi, cut down timber and tow it to the oppo- 
site side, without the smallest compensation. 

* ' Not to be at all personal, I have wondered whether 
somebody did not make money out of this speculation. 
If government paid for the labor, those who per- 
formed it had no share in the profits. ' ' 

"^Hildreth's Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky 
Mountains, pp. 51, 52. 

^*^ Hildreth's Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky 
Mountains, pp. 59, 60. 

"®"The scenery of the surrounding countr.y was 
the most strikingly picturesque and romantic that I 
had ever seen. Mountains and valleys so richly 
thrown together; forests and prairies so beautifully 
interspersed ; the elm and sycamore towered high in 
the air; the ledges of broken rocks emitted forth their 
tiny torrents, which gently meandered on their course 
through the tangled foliage. ' ' — Hildreth "s Dragoon 
Campaigns to the Rocky Mountains, pp. 62, 63. 

^^•^ Dodge's Military Order Book, pp. 63, 64. 

^^^ Hildreth 's Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky 
Mountains, p. 84; also Dodge's Military Order Book, 
pp. 65, 66. 

'^'"^ Dodge's Military Order Book, p. 71. 

^^^ Hildreth 's Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky 
Mountains, pp. 87, 88. 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 229 



154 



ISC 



ISl 



A copy of this communication is to be found in 
Dodge 's Military Order Booh, pp. 72-76. 

1^5 Hildreth 's Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky 
Mountains, pp. 105, 106. 

^'^ Dodge 's Military Order Booh, pp. 82, 83. 

'" Letter from Camp Jackson dated April 18, 1834, 
to George W. Jones, found in the Historical Depart- 
ment at Des Moines, Iowa. 

^^* Hildreth's Dragoon Campaigns to the Rochy 
Mountains, p. 119. 

The author here criticises the lack of ability in 
Dragoon tactics in some of the officers. "It is rather 
a laughable fact," he writes, "and one which reflects 
but little credit upon the accomplished graduates of 
West Point, that they should be compelled to receive 
instruction in swordsmanship from one of the en- 
listed members of the regiment. Such however is the 
case; and my friend Long Ned .... regularly 
every afternoon exercises a class of commissioned of- 
ficers in this branch of tactics, which they attempt 
afterward to impart to the men." 

CHAPTER VIII 

^^® The narrative of this chapter was constructed 
from the following sources : — 

1. American State Papers, Military Affairs, Vol. V, 
pp. 373-382. This is the journal kept by Lieutenant 
T. B. Wheelock during the entire march. Although it 
is sketchy in form it presents a fascinating narrative 
as well as an official and accurate account. 



230 HENRY DODGE 

2. Catlin's North American Indians, Vol. II, pp. 
452-528 (Hazard's edition of 1857). The same mate- 
rial is also found in the Smithsonian Report for 1885, 
Part II. Mr. Catlin was at this time thirty-seven years 
of age, and enjoyed the confidence of Colonel Dodge of 
whom he painted a portrait. Dodge declared of Cat- 
lin's portraits of Indians that ''The likenesses are 
good, very easily to be recognized, and the costumes 
faithfully represented." Vivid descriptions of the 
Indians and narratives of buffalo hunts, marches, 
scenery, and Indian councils from a keen observer, a 
forceful writer, and an artist, give both interest and 
value to this source. 

3. Dodge's Military Order Booh. 

4. Hildreth's Dragoon Campaigns to the RocJcy 
Mountains. 

5. Manuscript letters from Henry Dodge in the His- 
torical Department at Des Moines. 

6. A Journal of Marches hy the First United States 
Dragoons, 1834-1835. This document describes four 
marches by the First United States Dragoons Avhich 
extended over the area of five States of the Mississippi 
Valley. The author of the Journal was a member of 
Company I commanded by Captain Jesse B. Browne. 
The Journal is edited by Louis Pelzer and printed in 
The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, Vol. VII, 
pp. 331-378. 

"° Report of Secretary of War Lewis Cass in Amer- 
ican State Papers, Military Affairs, Vol. V, p. 170. 

^^^ American State Papers, Military Affairs, Vol. V, 
p. 373. 

i«- Smithsonian Report, 1885, Part II, p. 479. 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 231 

^^2 A Journal of Marches ly the First United States 
Dragoons in The Iowa Journal of History and Politics, 
Vol. VII, p. 344. 

'^^* American State Papers, Military Afairs, Vol. V, 
p. 376. 

^«' "Every morning early as the day dawned hun- 
dred [s] of Squaws might be seen ladened with com 
Pumpions & water-mellons & Buffalo meat strolling 
through our camp more anxious to trade than our 
Yankee Pedlers — whatever ornaments or decorations 
we could offer whether Paints, Buttons, Ribbands or 
any thing else to make a show they quickly bartered. 
Horses of the finest form & appearance were willingly 
exchanged for a single blanket". — A Journal of 
Marches hy the First United States Dragoons in The 
lotva Journal of History and Politics, Vol. VII, p. 
358. 

^*'*' Catlin 's North American Indians, Vol. II, p. 505. 

' ' The little boy of whom I have spoken, ' ' wrote Cat- 
lin, "was brought in, the whole distance to Port Gib- 
son, in the arms of the dragoons, who took turns in 
carrying him; and after the command arrived there, 
he was transmitted to the Red River, by an officer, 
who had the enviable satisfaction of delivering him 
into the arms of his disconsolate and half-distracted 
mother. ' ' 

^^^ A Journal of Marches hy the First United States 
Dragoons in The low a Journal of History and Poli- 
tics, Vol. VII, p. 359. 

^«« "Marched at half-past eight o'clock", writes 
Lieutenant Wheelock on July 31. 1834. " Men in fine 



9o,9 HENRY DODGE 



^o- 



spirits; abundance of buffalo meat; course northeast; 
distance 10 miles ; encamped on a branch of the Cana- 
dian ; three buffaloes killed this morning ; no news yet 
from express; anxiously looked for; face of country 
rolling prairie; frequent deep gullies; one of the Ki- 
owas killed three buffaloes with three arroivs." 

^®* Catlin's North American Indians, Vol. II, p. 515. 

^'"^ A Journal of Marches hy the First United States 
Dragoons in The Iowa Journal of History and Poli- 
tics, Vol. VII, p. 359. 

1^^ American State Papers, Military Affairs, Vol. V, 
p. 382. 

^"- Dodge's Military Order Bool-, p. 90. 

1'=^ Letter from Colonel Dodge, dated October 1, 
1834, and found in the Historical Department at Des 
]\Ioines. 

^"* A report of this expedition was sent to the Ad- 
jutant General, and a copy thereof dated August 18, 
1834, is found in Dodge's Military Order Book, pp. 
85-89. 

^'^^ "Colonel Dodge, who led the expedition," said 
Lewis Cass, "and his whole command appear to have 
performed their duties in the most satisfactory man- 
ner, and they encountered with firmness the priva- 
tions incident to the harassing service upon which 
they were ordered." — American State Papers, Mili- 
tary Affairs, Vol. V, p. 358. 

"''Catlin's North American Indians, Vol. II, p. 
525. 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 233 

CHAPTER IX 

^^' This chapter is based upon the material found in 
American State Papers, Military Affairs, Vol. VI, pp. 
130-146. This material consists of the following doc- 
uments : — 

1. The journal of the march of this detachment of 
the Dragoons as written by Lieutenant Gr. P. Kings- 
bury, the journalist of the expedition. 

2. A map showing the route of the Dragoons in this 
expedition. 

3. Letter from Colonel Dodge to Roger Jones, Ad- 
jutant General of the United States Army, dated 
October, 1835, from Fort Leavenworth. 

4. Letter of Edmund P. Gaines (of the Western 
Department of the Army) to Roger Jones, Adjutant 
General of the United States Army, dated November 
12, 1835. 

178 rpj^g present counties of Richardson, Nemaha, 
Johnson, and Otoe. 

179 "The Otto village", describes Lieutenant Kings- 
bury, '"is situated on a high prairie ridge, about two 
miles from the river, and overlooks the surrounding 
country for many miles. In front lay the green level 
valley of the Platte. . . . The village was very 
neat in its appearance. The lodges were built of 
wood, thatched with prairie grass, and covered with 
dirt. They were of a circular form, with a pointed 
roof about ten or twelve feet high to the break of the 
roof, and about fifteen or twenty feet high in the cen- 
tre. They build their fires in the middle of the lodge, 
leaving an opening in the roof for the smoke to es- 
cape." 



234 HENRY DODGE 

180 rpj^g route of this march would seem to corre- 
spond approximately with the present line of the 
Denver and Rio Grande Railroad between the cities 
of Denver and Pueblo in the State of Colorado. 

181 "The command at this stage of the march", 
writes Lieutenant Kingsbury on August 12, "was 
in a most perfect state of health — not a man upon the 
sick report ; the horses in fine order, nearly as good as 
when they left Fort Leavenworth. The colonel had 
seen all the Indians he expected to see, and had estab- 
lished friendly relations with them all; had marched 
one thousand miles over a beautiful and interesting 
country, and we started for home with that joyous 
and self-satisfied feeling which resulted from a con- 
sciousness of having accomplished the full object of 
the expedition." 

18- "The weather being wet and foggy," runs the 
journal of August 20, "we remained encamped; a 
party of men were sent out hunting, who killed two 
buffalo bulls ; no buffalo cows were seen. ' ' 

183 This was a Dragoon of Company A who died on 
August 11, 1835. Colonel Dodge directed him to be 
buried on a high prairie ridge and a stone to be 
placed at the head of the grave upon Avhich were to 
be engraved his name and regiment. 

CHAPTER X 

18* This letter is printed in full in Smith's History 
of Wisconsin, Part II, Vol. I, pp. 431, 432. 

185 Prom a letter of December 7, 1835, found in the 
Historical Department at Des Moines, Iowa, and 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 235 

printed in the Annals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol III 
pp. 293, 294. 



186 



This commission is preserved in the Historical 
Department at Des Moines, Iowa. 

^"Shambaugh's The First Census of the Original 
Counties of Dubuque and Demoine, pp. 45, 82. 

^^^Shambaugh's Messages and Proclamations of 
the Governors of Iowa, Vol. I, pp. 50-52. 

'^'•Kappler's Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, 
Vol. II, pp. 463-465. 

^""Kappler's Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, 
Vol. II, p. 473. 

^"Dodge's Military Order Bool-, pp. 115-117. 

^^' United States Statutes at Large, Vol. V, p. 34. 

"^Kappler's India^i Affairs, Laws and Treaties, 
Vol. II, pp. 474, 475. 

194 Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. VI, p. 306. 

^^^ Catlin's North American Indians, Vol. II, pp. 
721, 722. 

"* Catlin's North American Indians, Vol, II, p. 721. 

197 Prom Childs's Recollections of Wisconsin Since 
1820 in the Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. IV, 
pp. 153-195. Ebenezer Childs was one of the Repre- 
sentatives from Brown County, and his narrative il- 
luminates some of the early legislative history of the 
Territory. 

^'>^Du Buque Visitor, Vol. T, No. 26, November 2, 
1836. 



236 HENRY DODGE 

^^^ Shambaugli 's Messages and Proclamations of the 
Governors of Iowa, Vol. I, pp. 3-11. 

-°°Kappler's Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties, 
Vol. II, pp. 491, 492; Minnesota Historical Collec- 
tions, Vol. VI, pp. 214-219. 

-°^ James G. Edwards in the Wisconsin Territorial 
Gazette and Burlington Advertiser, Vol. I, No. 14, 
October 12, 1837. 

-*^- Journal of the House of Representatives, Second 
Session of the First Legislative Assembly of "Wiscon- 
sin, pp. 167, 168. 

-"^ Journal of the Council, Second Session of the 
First Legislative Assembly of Wisconsin, pp. 6-10. 

-"* Wisconsin Territorial Gazette and Burlington 
Advertiser, Vol. I, No. 29, January 27, 1838. 

^°^ Found in the Historical Department at Des 
Moines, Iowa, and printed in the Annals of loiva, 3rd 
Series, Vol. Ill, pp. 397, 398. 

-•""'I have known Genl. Jones from his childhood", 
wrote Dodge. "I have always considered him a high 
minded brave and honorable Gentleman .... 
he has filled several important Territorial offices with 
great credit to himself before his Election as Dele- 
gate to congress and in that Capacity by his unre- 
mitted effort and industry to serve the people of the 
Territory he has gained their confidence in a great de- 
gree". — From a manuscript letter in the Historical 
Department at Des Moines, Iowa, printed in the An- 
nals of Iowa, 3rd Series, Vol. Ill, p. 398. 

207 From a letter in the Historical Department at 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 237 

Des Moines, Iowa, printed in the Annals of Iowa, :3rd 
Series, Vol. Ill, pp. 398, 399. 

CHAPTER XI 

-"^ Journal of the Council, First Session of the Sec- 
ond Legislative Assembly of Wisconsin, pp. 6-15. 

-""Quoted from Ebenezer Childs's Recollections of 
Wisconsin Since 1820 in the ^Yisconsin Historical 
Collections, Vol. IV, p. 191. 

210 From the message of January 22, 1839, printed 
in the Jour^ial of the Council, Second Session of the 
Second Legislative Assembly of Wisconsin, pp. 8-10. 

-^^ J. R. Poinsett to Governor Henry Dodge, Febru- 
ary 14, 1839. — Printed in the Appendix to the Jour- 
nal of the Council of the Second Session of the Second 
Legislative Assembly of Wisconsin, pp. 339, 340. 

212 From the regulations of March 23, 1839, by Sec- 
retary of War Poinsett for the payment of annuities 
and the execution of treaty stipulations. — Found in 
the Papers of George Boyd (Indian Agent at Green 
Bay), Vol. VI. 

-13 Found in the Madison Express, Vol. I, No. 14, 
March 7, 1840. 

21* Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory, pp. 
292-297. 

The vote at this election resulted as follows : Doty, 
2,125 ; Killbourn, 1,158 ; and Burnett, 861. 

215 Journal of the Council, Third Session of the Sec- 
ond Legislative Assembly of Wisconsin, pp. 6-19. 



238 HENRY DODGE 

-'^^ 3Iadiso7i Express, Vol. I, No. 2, December 7, 
1839. 

-^''Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory, p. 346. 
CHAPTER XII 

"^® Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory, pp. 
351, 352. 

-^^ Congressional Globe, 2nd Session, 27th Congress, 
pp. 1, 2. 

"0 Congressional Glohe, 2nd Session, 27th Congress, 
p. 106. 

"1 Congressional Globe, 2nd Session, 27th Congress, 
pp. 754, 755. 

--- Congressional Globe, 2nd Session, 27th Congress, 
Appendix, pp. 668, 669. 

"3 A clear and judicial account of this controversy 
written by a most competent hand is found in 
Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory, pp. 386-398. 

-" The debate on this resolution is to be found in 
the Congressional Globe, 2nd Session, 27th Congress, 
p. 501, also in the Appendix to the same, pp. 277-281 
and 354-356. 

Representative Medill in concluding his speech 
said: — "The name of General Dodge is identified 
with the history and glory of the West, and will ever 
be held in grateful remembrance by a people whom 
his chivalry and valor have defended from cruelty 
and death. Selected for that purpose by President 
Jackson, he explored the vast regions of wilderness 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 239 

on this side the Oregon, at the head of his invincible 
dragoons; visited and entered into treaties of amity 
with numerous tribes of Indians hitherto unknown: 
released the whites that were found in captivity, and 
restored peace, order, and quietude upon the whole 
line of the frontier. His extraordinary services and 
signal success drew from General Gaines, the com- 
mander of the division, a letter recommending him to 
the notice of Congress, and suggesting that a sword 
be presented him as a token of the national gratitude. 
Honored and esteemed by the people, thougli pro- 
scribed by the President, he was chosen by the citi- 
zens of Wisconsin to represent their interests upon 
this floor, where he has again had the pleasure of 
meeting one of those sons who fought by his side at 
Wisconsin Heights, and who has been honored with a 
similar trust from the Territory of Iowa. Such is an 
example of the 'reform' which is practised by this 
Administration. ' ' 

225 Prom a letter to George W. Jones, dated June 
14, 1842, found in the Historical Department at Des 
Moines, Iowa. 

--® Reports of Committees, 2nd Session. 27th Con- 
gress, Vol. IV, Document 897. 

--^ Letter found in the 31oses M. Strong Collection 
of Letters in the Library of the Wisconsin State His- 
torical Society. 

"* Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory, p. 398. 

--"> From a letter dated June 14, 1842, found in the 
Historical Department at Des Moines, Iowa. 

230 United States Statutes at Large, Vol. V, p. 748. 



240 HENRY DODGE 

231 rpj^g j-'^^jj ^yj,^ Qf |.j^jg speech is to be found in the 
National Intelligencer (Washington), Vol. XLV, No. 
6438, March 28, 1844. Portions thereof are also print- 
ed in the Congressional Globe, 1st Session, 28th Con- 
gress, p. 422 ; and in Salter's Henry Dodge in the Iowa 
Historical Record, Vol XIV, No. 3, pp. 296-300. 

^^^ Co7igressional Globe, 2nd Session, 28th Congress, 
p. 325. 

CHAPTEE XIII 

-='3" On the 13th of May, 1845, Hon. Henry Dodge 
was appointed Governor of the Territory in place of 
Nathaniel P. Tallmadge removed, being thus restored 
to the place from which in 1841, he had been removed 
by President Tyler to give place to James D. Doty." 
— Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory, p. 479. 

234 These two extracts are quoted from The Diary of 
James K. Polk During his Presidency, 1845 to 1849, 
edited by Milo Milton Quaife, Vol. I, pp. 56-59. In 
this diary the President usually speaks of himself in 
the third person. 

235 Mineral Point Democrat, Vol. I, Nos. 5, 9, May 9 
and June 6, 1845. 

-^•^ A list of the members of the Council and of the 
House of Representatives for this session is printed 
in Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory, pp. 487, 
488. 

237 Printed in the Journal of the Council, Fourth 
Session of the Fourth Legislative Assembly of Wis- 
consin, pp. 12-22. 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 241 

-=*« Strong's History of Wisconsin Territoru, dd 
490-508. ^^' 

-^'^ Strong's History of Wisconsin Territoru, no 
490, 491. ' ^^' 

-*° Strong's History of Wisconsin Territoru, pp 
509-512, 526. 

-*^ Journal of the House of Representatives, First 
Session of the Fifth Legislative Assembly of AViscon- 
sin, pp. 11-18. 

-*- Donaldson's The Public Domain, p. 255. 

-''^ Strong's History of Wisconsin Territory, pp. 
532-550. 

2" The history of this Constitution is taken prin- 
cipally from Strong's History of Wisconsin Terri- 
tory, pp. 561-583. 

-*'' Journal of the House of Representatives, Second 
Session of the Fifth Legislative Assembly of Wiscon- 
sin, pp. 12-18. 

246 Poore 's Charters and 'Constitutions, Part II, pp. 
2047-2049. 

-" On July 20, 1848, Henry Dodge wrote to John 
Catlin and quoted with approval a letter by Secretary 
of State James Buchanan who held that the laws of 
the Territory of Wisconsin remained in force in that 
part of the Northwest Territory from which Wiscon- 
sin had been detached. It was believed that Congress 
would not leave the people of this region (now a part 
of the State of Minnesota) outside the pale of laws 
and government. — Found in the Catlin Papers in the 
library of the Wisconsin Historical Society. 

16 



242 HENRY DODGE 

-*8 A treatment of the administrations of the Terri- 
torial Governors of the Old Northwest is to be found 
in McCarty's The Territorial Governors of the Old 
Northwest, published by The State Historical Society 
of Iowa. 

249 ' ' r^i-^Q five noble commonwealths formed out of 
the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, with their 
thirteen and a half millions of population ; their ma- 
terial, intellectual, and moral resources; their vast 
wealth of achievements and still vaster wealth of pos- 
sibilities, are the grandest testimonial to the Ordi- 
nance of 1787, to the men who framed it, and to the 
pioneers who laid their foundations. "— Hinsdale 's 
The Old Northwest, pp. 333, 334. 

CHAPTEE XIV 

"SO Journal of the Senate, First Legislature of Wis- 
consin, p. 21. The full vote stood : Walker, 61 ; Dodge, 
60 ; Whiton, 17 ; Collins, 18 ; William S. Hamilton, 1 ; 
John H. Tweedy, 1. 

--^^ Congressional Globe, 1st Session, 30th Congress, 

p. 870. 

"Friday, 23rd June, 1848.— I was in my office this 
morning. Many persons called. Among others Gen'l 
H. Dodge, one of the recently elected Senators in 
Congress from the State of Wisconsin, called."— 
From The Diary of James K. Polk During his Presi- 
dencij, 1845 to 1849, edited by Milo I\Iilton Quaife, 
Vol. Ill, p. 498. 

2" Benton's Thirty Years' View, Vol. II, p. 723. 



I 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 243 

--'^Shepard's Van Buren (Stendard Library Edi- 
tion), p. 427. 

='^* Salter's Henry Dodge in the loiva Historical 
Record, Vol. XIV, No. 3, p. 304. 

25^ Congressional Glole, 1st Session, 31st Congress 
pp. 762, 763. 

=^*^ Senator James A. Pearce was appointed in 
Dodge's place on the committee which subpoenaed 
witnesses and collected evidence. On July 30th they 
made a report,, accompanied by an appendix contain- 
ing in 135 pages, the full record of the sittings of the 
committee. No action was recommended by the com- 
mittee who, nevertheless, felt bound to say that "the 
whole scene was most discreditable to the Senate" and 
that the practice of carrying arms in the Senate 
chamber could not be too strongly condemned. — 
Senate Reports, 1st Session, 31st Congress, Vol. I, 
Doc. No. 170. 

-^^ Congressional Glohe, 1st Session, 30th Congress, 
p. 1002. 

^^* Senate Journal, 1st Session, 31st Congress, pp. 
543, 557, 561, 583, 637. 

2^* Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. VII, pp. 
378, 379. 

-^° Congressional Glohe, 2nd Session, 31st Congress, 
p. 212. 

-®^ Journal of the Assembly, Third Annual Session 
of the Legislature of Wisconsin, pp. 97, 98. 

-^- Congressional Glole, 1st Session, 33rd Congress, 
p. 532. 



244 HENRY DODGE 

^*'' Congressional Globe, 1st Session, 34th Congress, 
Appendix, p. 805. 

CHAPTEK XV 

-'^* Salter's Henry Dodge in the Iowa Historical 
Record, Vol. XIV, No. 3, p. 304. 

-*^ Of the thirteen children born to Henry Dodge 
eight or nine grew to maturity. The fourth child, 
Henry Lafayette, who served with his father in the 
Black Hawk War, was burned at the stake in Arizona 
Territory in 1856 by the Apache Indians. Augustus 
Caesar, the fifth child, was a contemporary colleague 
of his father for six years in the United States Senate. 
Christiana Helen, the tenth child, became the wife of 
James Clarke, the last Governor of the Territory of 
Iowa. 

-^® Letter by J. S. Gallagher to Benj. B. Gallagher, 
dated August 31, 1832, at Fort Armstrong. Found 
in the Gallagher Collection of Letters in the Library 
of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. 

267 From a speech by Augustus Caesar Dodge on 
the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. — Congressional Globe, 1st 
Session, 33rd Congress, Appendix, pp. 375-383. 

208 ppom a letter to Captain Linn dated at Wash- 
ington, January 26, 1833, reprinted from the Van- 
dalia Whig in the Ulinois Advocate, Vol. II, No. 27, 
March 2, 1833. 

^''^ Section VII of the Organic Act of the Territory 
of Iowa. 



NOTES AND REFERENCES 245 

-^^ Wisconsin Historical Collections, Vol. V, pp 173- 
177. 

-"'Dodge's Tristram Dodge and Descendants, pp 
166, 167. 

"== Salter's Henry Dodge in the Iowa Historical 
Record, Vol. XIV, No. 3, pp. 308, 309. 

-^" Acts, xiii, 36. 



INDEX 



247 



INDEX 



Adams, Charles Francis, nomina- 
tion of, for Vice President, 186 

Adams, John Quincy. purpose of 
amendment by, 170: withdrawal 
of amendment by, 170; Indians 
pardoned by, 217 

Africa, visit of Dodge to, 3 

Aldrich, Charles, letter to, 214 

Alexander, Milton K., 49, 61, 64: 
pursuit of Black Hawk by, 60 : 
position of, in order of battle, 63 

Alleghanies, 12 

America, coming of Tristram 
Dodge to, 1 

American House (Madison), con- 
vening of Legislative Assembly 
in, 148 ; political headquarters at, 
148. 149 

Angry Man, meeting of, with Dra- 
goons, 116, 117: conference of. 
with Dodge, 117; Dodge invited 
to lodge of, 117; council held at 
lodge of, 118, 119; statement by, 
119 

Anti-slavery Whigs. 186 

Apache Indians, son of Henry 
Dodge burned at stake by, 244 

Appanoose, presence of, in council, 
135 

Apple River, 52 

Arapaho Indians, 118, 119, 123: 
encampment of, on Arkansas Riv- 
er, 122, 123 

Arbuckle, Colonel, garrison com- 
manded by, 68, 87, 88 

Arickara Indians, collecting of, by 
Captain Gantt, 119, 120; de- 
scription of, 120 ; number of, 
120; replies of chiefs of, 121; 
gift from chief of, to Dodge, 121; 
presents given by, 125 : arrival 
of, at Cheyenne village, 125 

Arizona Territory, 244 

Arkansas. 89 

Arkansas River, fort on, 71; ref- 
erence to, 95, 113, 124, 125; 
encampment on, 122 : marches 
along, 123, 126 

Arkansas Territory, fort in. 68; 
reference to, 87, 88 

Arnold, Jonathan E., campaign of 
Dodge against, 158 



Arrow Rock, crossing of Missouri 
River at, 24 

Ashley, Mr., appointment of Dodge 
urged by. 130 

Assembly Hall, meeting of Legis- 
lative Assemblv in, 149; condi- 
tions surrounding legislators in. 
149 

Atkinson, Henry, arrival of, at Ga- 
lena; cooperation of Dodge with, 
42 ; march of forces of, 43 • ref- 
erence to, 48. 49, 56, 61; action 
of, with regard to Illinois inva- 
sion, 50; order by, 52, 75; con- 
ference of Dodge with, 55; re- 
port of Dodge to, 57-59, 73, 74; 
pursuit of Black Hawk by. 60; 
order of battle arranged by, 63 : 
service rendered to, 65 ; warning 
sent to, 65 

Axe, chief of Pawnee Loups, 118 

Bad Axe, Battle of, 45, 49, 222: 
account of, 63-65; participants 
in. 64 ; Atkinson's report of, 64 ; 
results of. 64, 65 

Bad Axe River, 41; discovery of 
Black Hawk near, 63 

Banks, incorporation of, 138; in- 
vestigation of, urged by Dodge, 
147; attitude of Dodge toward. 
155 ; constitutional restriction on, 
181 

Barnburners, convention held by, 
185; nominations bv, 185, 186 

Barton, David, 23, 27 

Bean, Jesse, instructions to, 71 

Beatte, speech bv, 105; killing of 
buffalo by, 110 

Beardstown (Illinois), assembling 
of militia at, 47, 50; march of 
forces from, 50 

Beekes, Ben,iamin V., location of 
company of, 70 ; orders to, 73 : 
demand for discharge of company 
of, 77, 78 ; furlough granted t». 
78 

Bellevue, claim of, for Territorial 
capital, 138 

Belmont, convening of Legislative 
Assemblv at. 136; description of. 
136, 137: reference to, 140, 165 

249 



250 



INDEX 



Beloit (Wisconsin), 59; appropri- 
ation for improvement of road to, 
170 
Beloit College, incorporation of, 177 
Bent, Mr., fort of St. Vrain and, 

123; trade carried on by, 123 
Benton, Thomas H., credentials of 
Dodge presented by, 185 ; person- 
al friendship between Dodge and, 
186, 196 ; results of debate be- 
tween Foote and, 187; differences 
between Dodge and, 196 
Big Elk, friendly attitude of, 116; 

character of, 116 
Black Hawk, 22, 54; sketch of life 
of, 45, 219; validity of treaty de- 
nied by, 46; crossing of Missis- 
sippi by, 46; burning of village 
of, 47; desire of, for peace, 47; 
command of, in Black Hawk War, 
49; wrath of, against whites, 49; 
messengers sent to, 50; pursuit 
of, 50, 60-63 ; movements of band 
of, 52 ; crossing of, into Michigan 
Territory, 59; encampments of, 
61 ; discovery of, 63 ; Indian at- 
tack led by, 63; capture of, 65, 
224; silence of, in council, 135; 
character of, 217 
Black Hawk Purchase treaty, sign- 
ing of, bv Dodge, 71; importance 
of, 71, 72 
Black Hawk War, 2, 36, 44, 186, 
244; Dodge's services in, 45, 49- 
66, 83, 199; beginning of, 47, 
48 ; numbers engaged in, 49 ; 
principal engagements of, 49 ; 
causes of, 49 ; most disastrous 
encounter of, 51; account of, in 
newspapers, 51, 52; termination 
of, 65 ; cost of, 65 ; effect of, on 
migration, 65, 66; applications 
for pensions for service in, 189 ; 
sources on, 218-220; sketch rel- 
ative to, 222; activities of Lang- 
worthy s in, 222 
Black Dog, Osage Indians under 

command of, 96 
Black River, 222 
Blackfoot Indians, 123 
Block, Adrian, discovery of "Block 

Eylandt" by, 1 
Block Island, discovery of, 1; first 
settlers of, 1; land on, sold by 
Dodge, 2; history of, 207 
Blue Mound Fort, 55 
Blue Mounds, 60, 63 
Blue-coat, chief of Pawnee Repub- 
lics, 117, 118 
"Bonne Homme" settlement, mar- 
riage of Dodge in. 14 
Boone, Daniel M., 23; support of 
Dodge by, 25 



Boone, Nathan, 27; instructions to, 
70, 71, 72 

Boone Lick Settlement, Indian at- 
tacks on, 22 ; reference to, 23 ; 
arrival of Dodge's force at, 24 

Boston, arrival of Dodge at, 7 

Bracken, Charles, 31 

Brandywine, Battle of, Dodge in, 
4 ; reference to. 10 

Brant, I. B., 78 

Brigham, Ebenezer, 31 

British, capture of Dodge by, 6; 
Black Hawk in service of, 45 

British Band of Rock River, 47 

British traders, Indians aroused 
by, 21, 22 

Brown County (Wisconsin), Rep- 
resentative from, 235 

Browne, Jesse B., location of com- 
pany of, 70 ; reports to be sent 
bv, 72; instructions to. 72, 73, 
78; reference to, 96, 230 

Buchanan, James, 241 

Buffalo (New York), National Free 
Soil Convention held at, 186 ; de- 
scription of journey from, 227 

Buffalo, hunting of, taught Dra- 
goons, 90; killing of, 109, 110, 
126; last sight of, by Dragoons, 
110; first herd of, seen by Dra- 
goons, 119 

Buffalo Grove (Illinois), 52; In. 
dian murders near, 54 

Bull Run, Battle of, prototype of, 
51 

BuUett, George, assurance of friend- 
ship by, 106 

Burlington (Iowa), 30; claim of, 
for Territorial capital, 138 ; leg- 
islative sessions held at, 139. 140, 
143 ; hospitality provided by, 
140 ; home of Augustus Caesar 
Dodge at, 193; death of Christi- 
ana Dodge at, 193 ; death of 
Henrv Dodge at, 193 ; monument 
to Dodge at, 204 
Burnett, Thomas P., independent 
candidacy of, for Delegate, 154; 
vote for, 237 
Burr, Aaron, conspiracy of, 18. 19 

Calhoun, John C, 186 

California, bill for admission of, 
188 

Camanche Indians, 95, 102; ar- 
rival of, at Dodge's camp. 97, 
98, 101, 106: character of. 98; 
arrival of Dodge at camp of, 98; 
council held with, 107, 108, 111; 
Dodge accompanied by represen- 
tative of, 108, 109 

Camanche village, location of. 94 

Camp Jackson, permanent quarters 



INDEX 



'2rn 



of Dragoons at. 89; escort sent 
from, 91; arrival of Leavenworth 
at, 91; arrival of troops at, 92; 
reference to, 229 

Camp Leavenworth, troops left at, 
97 

Campbell, Mr., murder of. by In- 
dians, 25 

Canterbury (Connecticut), removal 
of Dodge to, 2 ; reference to, 3 

Canada, loyalty of Black Hawk to, 
45 

Cape Girardeau (Missouri), 23 

Capital, Territorial, contest for lo- 
cation of, 138 

Capitol (Iowa), building stone for, 
10 

Capitol (Wisconsin), bust of Dodge 
in Governor's room of, 204 

Carlisle (Pennsylvania), Hunter 
family at, 4 

Cass, Lewis, memorial addressed to. 
36, 37; Indian uprising prevent- 
ed by, 44 ; praise of Dodge bv, 
112; reference to, 132, 144, 186: 
Kansas-Nebraska Bill supported 
by, 191; report by, 230; praise 
of Dragoons by, 232 

Cassville, claim of, for Territorial 
capital, 138 

Catlin, George, exriedition accom- 
panied by, 95 ; description of In- 
dian council by, 101, 135; refer- 
ence to, 102 ; praise of Dragoon 
campaign by. 112; contribution 
of, relative to Indians, 230 

Catlin, John, letter of Dodge to, 
241 

Chaetar, Black Hawk captured by, 
224 

Chambers, John, 200 

Chase, Salmon P., Kansas-Nebraska 
Bill opposed by, 190. 191 

Cherokee Indians, relations of, with 
Dragoons, 89 ; expedition joined 
by, 95 ; reference to, 105 ; coun- 
cil held with, 111 

Cheyenne Indians, 118, 119: vil- 
lages of, 123; fondness of. for 
whiskey, 123 ; supposed attack 
on, 124 ; presents given and re- 
ceived by, 125 

Chicago, 70, 162 

Chicago Historical Society, 220 

Childs, Ebenezer, 235 

Chippewa County (Wisconsin), 
failure of, to elect delegate, 178 

Chippewa Indians, treaty with, 39, 
215; maintenance of peace with, 
91; messengers sent to. 139; as- 
sembling of, for grand council, 
139, 140; habits of, 153 

Choctaw Indians, council held with, 
111 



Cliolera, ravages of, among rangers, 

Chouteau, Auguste, 27 

Clark, George Rogers, caiXure of 
forts by, 5, 6, 13 

Clark, William, militia organized by, 
22; reference to, 27, 32, 132 

Clark County (Missouri), 207 

Clarke, James, marriage of. to 
Christiana Helen Dodge. 244 

Clay, Henry, Dodge a pallbearer at 
funeral of, 186 

Clayton, P., letter from, 225 

Clyman, James, detachment under 
78 

Colchester (Connecticut), removal 
of Dodge to, 2 

Collins, Alexander L., candidacy of, 
for Senator, 185; vote for, 242 

Colonies, revolt of. 3 

Colorado, march through, 113 

Commerce, Committee on, service of 
Dodge on, 190 

Company I (Dragoons), chronicler 
of, 110 

Congress, 7, 80, 164, 175, 194: pe- 
titions to, 67, 128, 129. 180; 
prevention of favorable action bv, 
129; acts passed by, 134. 179; 
memorials to, urged by Dodge, 
137, 146, 147. 148, 155, 176. 
177; agitation for new Territory 
in, 143; law permitted by. 146'; 
veto power limited by act of, 150; 
appropriation made "by, 150. 163; 
recommendation for memorial to, 
156; sixth census authorized by. 
156; attitude of, toward Terri- 
tory of Wisconsin. 169; services 
of Dodge in, 172, 197 

Congress of the Confederation, 
ideals formulated by, 183, 184 

Connecticut, 3 

Constitution (Wisconsin), appor- 
tionment of delegates for framing 
of, 178; drafting of, 179; sub- 
mission of, to vote of people. 179; 
campaign against, 181; objection- 
able features of. 181; defeat of, 
181; adoption of, 182; history of, 
241 

Constitutional Convention (Wiscon- 
sin), provision for second, 182; 
adjournment of, 182 

Cook, Nathaniel. 23, 27 

Cooke. Philip St. George, 83 

Cooper, Benjamin, 23 

Cooper, Sarshall, 23, 26; threat of, 
25 

Cooper County (Missouri). 22 

Corporations, attitude of Dodge to- 
ward, 155 

Council (Wisconsin Territory), 
number of members of, 175; at- 



1252 



INDEX 



tack on Constitution in, 181; list 

of members of, 240 
Craig, James, 222 
Crawford County (Wisconsin), 

troops furnished by, 180 
Creek Indians, relations of. with 

Dragoons, 89 ; reference to, 105 
Crittenden, Thomas T., duel be- 
tween Fenwick and, 20 
Cruson, Thomas, 175 
Currency, condition of, in West, 

155 
Cutler, Lieutenant Colonel, garrison 

commanded by, 68 

Danville (Illinois), winter quarters 
near, 72 

Daugherty, Mr., 23 

Davenport, Colonel, life of Black 
Hawk based on statements of, 
219 

Davenport (Iowa), treaty signed on 
present site of, 71, 133, 134 

Davis, Jefferson, 83 ; opposition of, 
to Dodge, 92 ; service of. with 
Dragoons, 186 

Decorah, One-eved, Black Hawk 
captured by, 229 

Defiance (Wisconsin), 55 

Delaware Indians, expedition joined 
bv, 95 ; assurance of friendship 
of, 106 

Delegate to Congress, campaign for 
election of. 153, 154; career of 
Dodge as, 158-171 

Democrats, nominee of, for Dele- 
gate to Congress, 154; charges 
against, 157; nomination of 
Dodge by, 158; sentiment of. 
with regard to appointment of 
Dodge, 173 

Demoiue County (Territory of Wis- 
consin), population of, 131 

Denver (Colorado). 234 

Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, 
route of, 234 

Des Moine.s County (original Ter- 
ritory of Wisconsin), 139 

Des Moines River, passing of rapids 
of, 30 

Detroit, captivity of Dodge at, 6 ; 
reference to, 35, ii6 

Dewey, Nelson, 175 

Dickinson, Daniel S.. 187 

Distribution Act, 179 

District of Columbia, bill for sup- 
pression of slave trade in, 188 

Divorce, laws relative to, 178 

Dixon's Ferrv, 50, 74 ; arrival of 
Dodge at, 52, 53 

Dodge Augustus Caesar, statement 
by. 29. 53, 198; reference to. 52. 
244 ; Delegate from Territory of 
Iowa, 159; attitude of. toward 



duty on lead, 161; results of ef- 
forts of, in behalf of Iowa, 168; 
Kansas-Nebraska Bill supported 
by, 191; home of, 193; speech 
by, 207, 244; comment relative 
to, 213. 214 

Dodge, Christiana, death of, 193 ; 
marriage of, 244 

Dodge, Henry, ancestry and early 
life of, 1 ; birth of, 13 ; early boy- 
hood of, 13 ; incident in early 
life of. 13, 14; removal of, to Ste. 
Genevieve, 14 ; early activities of, 
14 ; marriage of, to Christina 
McDonald, 14, 15 ; service of, as 
Deputy Sheriff, 15 ; character of 
life of, 16 ; part of, in history of 
Missouri, 16; residence of. in 
Missouri, 17, 196; indictment of, 
17, 19; service of, as Sheriff, 17, 
18 ; sessions of court held at 
home of, 18; executions during 
administration of, 18 ; connec- 
tion of, with Burr expedition, 19 : 
grand jury whipped by, 19, 20: 
trustee of Academy, 20 ; part of. 
in duel, 20; appointment of, as 
Marshal, 20; military rank of, 
21; commissions of, 21, 22. 52, 
67, 210-213; force under com- 
mand of, 23, 41, 42; march of, 
24, 42, 43, 97-100; lives of In- 
dians saved by. 25, 43 ; part of, 
in War of 1812, 26; capacity of. 
for treaty-making, 26, 27; trea- 
ties made by, 27, 34, 71, 132, 
133, 134, 135; lead-mining ac- 
tivities of, 27, 28-38, 214, 215; 
orders to, 23, 75, 91; delegate to 
constitutional convention, 27 ; ac- 
tivity of, in salt-making. 28, 29: 
migration of, 29, 40; burial- 
place of, 30; location of, near 
Dodgeville, 31; friendly relations 
of, with Indians, 31; smelter 
built by, 31; fortified position of. 
33 ; refusal of, to leave mining 
region, 34; shipment of lead by, 
34; purchase of Indian lands by, 
34; influence of, in lead region. 
35; statement by, 35, 56, 236: 
election of. to Council. 36: views 
of, concerning division of Michi- 
gan Territory, 36, 37; mining in- 
dustry abandoned by, 38 ; begin- 
ning of military career of, 39: 
arrival of, at Galena, 41; cooper- 
ation of, with Atkinson, 42 : fron- 
tier protection urged by. 44; ref- 
erence to, 45. 48, 77, 94, 96, 140, 
224, 242 ; command of. in Black 
Hawk War, 49: letter to, 52, 72, 
167, 225, 237; expedition of, 
52, 53. 54. 94-112, 113; ar- 



INDEX 



2ry.] 



rival of, at Dixou's Perry, 52, 
53 ; arrival of, at Fort Union, 53, 
56, 57 ; headquarters of, 53 ; 
counsel given by, 54, 124, 125; 
return of, to headquarters, 54; 
raising of troops by, 54; release 
of prisoners secured by, 54; ac- 
tivities of troops under, 54, 55; 
character of troops under, 55 ; 
speech by, 55, 101-104, 120, 121, 
192, 240; conference of, with At- 
kinson, 55 ; arrival of. at Fort 
Hamilton, 57; encounter of, with 
Indians, 57: report of battle of 
Pecatonica by, 57-59; activities 
of, at Galena, 59, 60; pursuit of 
Black Hawk by, 60-63: Indians 
overtaken by, 61, 62: position of, 
in order of battle. 63 ; losses in 
battalion under, 64 ; arrival of, 
at Fort Crawford, 65 ; service 
rendered by. to Atkinson, 65 ; 
command of, in Black Hawk War, 
66; service of, in Black Hawk 
War, 66, 199 ; service of, with 
Mounted Rangers, 67-79; mili- 
tary record of, 67, 80, 130; sal- 
ary of, as Major, 69 ; command 
of Rangers by, 70 ; orders by, 

72, 73, 74, 78 : reports to be sent 
to, 72 ; report of, to Atkinson, 

73, 74; letter from, 74. 81, 82, 
142, 143, 165, 166, 169. 215, 
226, 227, 230. 232, 233, 234, 
235, 236, 241: meeting of, with 
Winnebago chiefs, 74 ; approval 
of movements of, by Atkinson, 
75 ; search of. for Indian mur- 
derers, 75, 76 : talk by, to Win- 
nebago chiefs, 76 : furlough grant- 
ed by, 78 : service of, as Colonel 
of Dragoons, 80-93 : appointment 
of, as Colonel of Dragoons. 80; 
assistance of, in organizing Dra- 
goons, 81; titles of, 81, 199; de- 
scription of, by Dragoon, 83 ; 
quarters of, 84 ; order issued up- 
on recommendation of, 86: com- 
mand of Dragoons assumed by. 
86, 87; report of, concerning 
Port Gibson. 87, 88; orders 
awaited by, 89; views of, pre- 
sented to Jones, 89. 90; division 
of Dragoons recommended by, 
90 ; account of, concerning Dra- 
goons, 91, 92; opposition of Ma- 
son and Davis to, 92; arrival of 
Camanches at camp of, 97, 98 ; 
arrival of, at Camanche camp. 
98: encampment of, 100: council 
held bv. 101-108. 106, 107, 111, 
115, il6, 118, 119, 123, 124, 
125 ; exchange of captives made 
by, 103 ; meeting of, with Indian 



chief. 104 ; asKurances given to. 
105; peace maintained by, 107; 
return of Kiowa prisoner by, 107 
108; visit of chiefs to, 108; re- 
turn of, to Port Gibson, 110; de- 
scription of Pawnee expedition 
by, 111, 112; praise of, 112; de- 
parture of. from Fort Leaven- 
worth, 113; provisions issued to 
Omahas by, 116; conference of, 
with Angry Man, 117; invitation 
of, to lodge of Angry Man, 117; 
assistance offered to, by Pawnees, 
119; gift to, from Arickara chief. 
121; presents distributed by. 121, 
124; expressions of good will to- 
ward, 124; arrival of, at Chev- 
enne village, 124; Governor of 
Original Territory of Wisconsin, 
128-144: beginning of political 
career of, 128; division of Terri- 
tory of Michigan urged by, 128: 
interest of. in division of Michi- 
gan Territory, 129; qualifications 
of, for governorship, 129; hopes 
for governorship expressed by, 
129, 130; appointment of, as 
Governor, 130, 235, 240; oath of 
office taken by. 130; area under 
jurisdiction of, 130; period cov- 
ered by administration of, 130, 
131; salary of, as Governor, 131: 
veto power of, 131; qualifications 
of, for Superintendent of Indian 
Affairs, 131; census ordered by. 
131; election called by. 131; ap- 
portionment of members of Legis- 
lative Assembly by, 131. 132; ac- 
tivities of, as Superintendent of 
Indian Affairs, 132-136, 139, 
140: views of. concerning land 
cession, 133 : Legislative Assem- 
bly convened by, 136; criticism 
of. for choice of capital, 136, 
137; attitude of, toward location 
of capital, 138; suspected of 
corruption and bargaining, 138; 
journey of. to Port .Snelling, 139; 
recommendations bv, 141; mes- 
sage of, 141, 145148, 154. 155, 
156, 157, 175-177, 179, 180, 
237: departure of, for Mineral 
Point. 141, 142; editorial com- 
ment relative to, 142, 154; ad- 
ministrative activities of, 142; 
desire of, for retirement. 142 ; 
significance of administration of, 
143 : use of executive power by, 
144: character of administration 
of, 144, 201. 202; Governor of 
Wisconsin Territory, 145157, 
172-184; period of administra- 
tion of, 145; change in office 
tenure urged by, 146; views of. 



254 



INDEX 



concerning preemption rights for 
lead miners, 148 ; correspondence 
between War Department and, 
150 : duties of, as Sunerintendent 
of Indian Affairs, 151-153, 200; 
memorials forwarded by, 152 ; re- 
port of, to Commissioner of In- 
dian Aiiairs, 152 ; removal of 
Winnebagoes urged by. 152 ; de- 
sire for continuance of adminis- 
tration of, 157: successor to, 
157; career of, as Delegate, 158- 
171; unanimous nomination of, 
for Delegate to Congress, 158; 
campaign of, against Arnold, 158 ; 
vote cast for, 158, 242 ; oath of 
oifice taken by, 158; salary and 
duties of, as Delegate, 159, 160 ; 
memorials sent to, 159; efforts of, 
to secure legislation, 160 ; defense 
of mining interests by, 160, 161; 
bill introduced by, 162 ; expen- 
ditures for harbor improvements 
estimated bv, 162 ; controversy 
of, against Doty, 163-169; reso- 
lution by, 164; adoption of reso- 
lution of, 165 ; request of, for re- 
moval of Doty, 167, 168; results 
of efforts of, as Delegate, 168 ; 
appropriation secured by. 169, 
170; protest of, against disband- 
ing of Dragoons, 170; attempt of, 
to secure appropriation, 171; ex- 
perience gained by, 172; duties 
of Governor resumed by, 172; 
reasons for appointment of, 173; 
attitude of, toward Tallmadge, 
174; return of. to Mineral Point, 
174; dinner tendered to, 174; 
Dragoon escort of, 174; nomina- 
tions to office by, 177; bill rela- 
tive to Statehood signed by, 178 ; 
apportionment of delegates to 
Constitutional Convention by, 
178 ; extra session of legislature 
called by, 181, 182; Statehood 
urged by, 182 ; comment of, on 
Mexican War, 183 : end of exec- 
utive career of, 183 ; career of, 
as Senator, 185-192 : reward of, 
for service, 185; election of, as 
Senator, 185 ; credentials of, pre- 
sented, 185 ; expiration of term 
of. 185 ; nomination of, for Vice 
President, 185, 186 ; nomination 
declined by, 186; pall-bearer at 
funeral of ' Clay, 186; friendship 
between Benton and, 187, 196; 
interference of, in quarrel in 
Senate, 187; attitude of, toward 
disorder in Senate. 187, 188; at- 
titude of, toward slavery, 188, 
196, 197 ; service of, on commit- 
tees. 190 ; reelection of, as Sena- 



tor, 190; attitude of, toward 
Kansas-Nebraska Bill, 190, 191, 
197; character and services of, 
193-204; retirement of, 193; end 
of secession and slavery wit- 
nessed by, 193 ; death of wife of, 
193 ; death of, 193 ; versatile ca- 
reer of, 194 ; physical appearance 
of, 194; literary style of, 194, 
195; education of, 194; positive 
elements in character of, 195 ; po- 
litical ideas of, 195, 196; differ- 
ences between Benton and, 196 ; 
slaves owned by, 196, 197; atti- 
tude of, toward public questions. 
188; attitude of, toward compro- 
mise measures, 188, 189, 197; 
adherence of, to instructions. 
188, 189 ; petitions and memo- 
rials presented by, 189, 190; loy- 
alty of, to constituents, 197; 
character of services of, in Con- 
gress, 197; capacities of, 197; 
frontier life of, 197, 198, 
199; violation of Federal laws 
by, 198; unharmonious views 
of, 198 ; attitude of, toward 
nullification, 198, 199; con- 
tributions of, to western de- 
velopment, 199; career of, as 
Territorial executive, 199 ; Indian 
campaigns of, 199; knowledge of. 
concerning Indian character, 
199; zenith of public career of. 
200; success of western expedi- 
tions of, 200 ; influence of, on 
legislation, 201; use of veto pow- 
er bv, 201; resolutions on death 
of. 203 ; tribute to, 203, 204, 238, 
239; recognition of services of, 
204; bust of, 204; epitaph on 
monument of, 204; sketches of, 
207; incident connected with 
birth of, 209; naming of, 209; 
information furnished by, 213: 
removal of, to Galena, 213, 214; 
election of, as Chief Justice, 215; 
enlistment of Langworthy under, 
222 ; colors presented to, 223 ; re- 
plv of, 223: account of Battle of 
Wisconsin Heights by 223, 224; 
Military Order Book of, 225, 
226; praise of command of, 232; 
burial of Dragoon directed by, 
234 ; debate on resolution by, 
238; removal of, 240; children 
of, 244 

Dodge, Henry L., son of Henry 
Dodge, 214; service of, in Black 
Hawk War, 244; death of. 244 

Dodge, Israel, migrations of, 2 ; 
reference to, 14 

Dodge. Israel (father of Henry 
Dodge), birth and early life of. 



INDEX 



'2^:) 



3, 4 ; marriage of, 4 ; career of, 
6; migrations of, 7, 8; service 
of, under John Dodge, 7 ; pro- 
test against arrest made by, 7; 
prosperity of, 8; contribution of, 
9; petition of, 9; declaration 
concerning petition of, 9 ; land 
granted to, 10; shipments made 
by, 10 ; attack on, by pirates, 10, 
11; transfer of Louisiana wit- 
nessed by, 12 ; appointment of. 
as Sheriff, 12; death of, 13; 
burial-place of, 13 ; reference to, 
34 

Dodge, Israel, 28 

Dodge, John, birth of, 2 ; death of, 
2 

Dodge, John, birth of, 2 ; life of, 
2, 3 

Dodge, John, career of, 6 ; captiv- 
ity of, 6; arrival of, at Boston. 
7; removal of, to Virginia, 7; 
appointment of, as Indian Agent, 
7 ; order for arrest given by, 7, 
8 ; removal of, to Louisiana. 8 ; 
settlement of, at Nevs^ Bourbon, 
8 ; activities of, in salt-making, 
14; character of, 208 

Dodge, Nancy Ann, 209 (See also 
Nancy Ann Hunter) 

Dodge, Tristram, coming of, to 
America, 1 ; reference to, 2 

Dodge County (Wisconsin), 61 

Dodge family, coming of, to Amer- 
ica, 1 ; westward migration of, 1, 
2; descendants of, 207 

Dodgeville fWisconsin), settlement 
of Dodge near, 31; smelting 
works near, 53 ; reference to, 
75, 78, 226; mines at, 214, 215 

Doty, James Duane, nomination of, 
for Delegate, 154; election of, as 
Delegate, 154 : appointment of, 
as Governor of Wisconsin Terri- 
tory, 157; reference to, 158, 
240 : controversy of Legislative 
Assembly and Dodge against, 
163-169; appropriation entrust- 
ed to, 163. 164; failure of, to 
render account, 164 ; charges 
against, 164 ; arraignment of, by 
Medill, 165 ; session of Legisla- 
tive Assembly declared illegal by, 
166 ; violation of laws by, 
167, 168; refusal of, to cooper- 
ate with Legislative Assembly, 
167. 168 ; request of Dodge for 
removal of. 167, 168 ; character 
of administration of, 168; rea- 
sons for appointment of, 173 ; 
defeat of, by Dodge, 190 ; ca- 
pacities of, 197; administration 
of, 202; vote for. 237 

Dougherty, Major, service of, on 



Dragoon expedition, 114- dis- 
tribution of presents bv. 119 

Douglas, Stephen A.. 18(5; Kansas- 
Nebraska Bill supported bv, 191 

Dragoons, regiment of, created, 80- 
composition of, 80, 82, 83, 113, 
114; proposition to convert 
Rangers into, 80, 81; orders for 
enlistment of, 81; communica- 
tion of Dodge concerning, 81, 
82; Ranger caotains enlisted in. 
83; description of, 83, 84. 234; 
conditions among, 84, 85; de- 
sertions among, 85 ; labor per- 
formed by, 85, 86; training of 
horses for, 86; first battalion 
parade of, 80; number of, 86; 
command of, assumed by Dodge, 
86, 87: march of, 87, 96, 97- 
100, 108, 109, 113-127; arrival 
of, at Fort Gibson, 87; supplies 
purchased for, 88; permanent 
quarters of, 89; description of 
quarters of, 89; relations of, 
with Indians, 89 ; amusements 
of, 89; division of, recommended 
by Dodge, 90; account of, by 
Dodge, 91, 92; description of 
camp of, 92, 93; campaign of, 
94 ; purpose of campaign of, 95 ; 
Indians with expedition of, 95; 
crossing of river by, 96 ; deple- 
tion of ranks of, 96, 99 ; arrival 
of, at Pawnee village, 100; In- 
dian hospitalities enjoyed bv, 
100, 101; speed of. retarded, 
109; return of, to Port Gibson, 
110; results of campaign of, 
112; departure of, from Fort 
Leavenworth, 113; meeting of 
Jutan with, 115; welcome of, by 
Oto Indians, 115; arrival of 
Omahas at camp of, 116; arrival 
of, at Pawnee village, 117; invi- 
tation of, to lodge of Angry Man, 
117; first herd of buffalo seen 
by, 119; purpose of expedition 
of, 120 ; expressions of good will 
toward, 124; effects of expedi- 
tion of, 125, 126, 127; loss of 
life among, 127; reference to, 
133, 186, 227, 228; request for, 
150; proposition for disbanding 
of, 170; altitude of Adams to- 
ward, 170; Dodge escorted by, 
174; need for company of, 177; 
description of country traversed 
by, 228; lack of training in tac- 
tics among officers of, 229; de- 
scription of marches of, 230; 
bartering of, with Indians, 231; 
report of expedition of, 232; 
route of expedition of. .233; 
death of member of, 234 



256 



INDEX 



Draper, Lyman C, notes by, 213 
Drunkenness, prohibition of, 69, 

Dubuque, incorporation of Miners 
Bank at, 138 

Dubuque County (Wisconsin Ter- 
ritory), population of, 131; 
claim of, for Territorial capital, 

■I O Q 

Duncan, Matthew, instructions to, 

73; command under, 113 
Dunlap's Ferry, crossing at, 126 
Dutch (Cherokee Indian), assur- 
ances given by, 105 

Edwards, James G., 236 

Edwards, Ninian, 27 

Elections, suggestions of Dodge rel- 
ative to, 156 

Elm Grove, 126 . 

English Prairie (Wisconsin), 

march of troops to, 42 

Ewing, L. D., Indians overtaken 
by, 62 

Fairchild, Lucius, tribute to Dodge 
bv, 203, 204 

False Washita River, murder com- 
mitted on, 102 

Falstaflf, Jack. 83 

Fenwick, Walter, duel between 
Crittenden and, 20 

Fever River, lead region of, 29; 
reference to, 32 .r. , .. 

Florida, Territory of, Delegate 
from, 159 . 

Fond du Lac (Wisconsin), appro- 
priation for repair of road to, 

169, 170 , , J u * 

Foote, Henry S., results of debate 

between Benton and, 187 
Force, George, burial of, 60 
Force Bill, attitude of Dodge to- 
ward, 198 
Ford, Lemuel, death of Ranger in 
company of, 69; instructions to, 
70, 71, 72; command under, 

113. 114 
Ford, Thomas, statement by, 59; 

reference to, 218. 219 
Fort Armstrong, garrison of, 68 
Fort Chartres, 20 

Fort Crawford, gathering of forces 
at, 41, 43 ; garrison of, 68 ; need 
for Dragoons at, 177; withdraw- 
al of troops from, 180 
Fort Dearborn, garrison of. 68 
Fort Gibson, garrison of, 68; 
troops ordered to, 70, 71, 72, 86; 
arrival of Dragoons at, 87; ref- 
erence to, 89, 92, 94, 104; re- 
serve infantry at, 90; return of 
Dragoons to, 109, 110; grand 



council at. 111; story of march 
es to, 227 
Fort Hamilton, arrival of Dodge at, 
57; assembling of forces at, 60 
Port Howard, appropriation for re- 
pair of road from, 169, 170 
Fort Leavenworth, 26, 110, 133, 
233; garrison of, 68; suggestion 
for Dragoon headquarters at, 
90; departure of Dragoons from. 
113; arrival of Dragoons at, 126 
Fort Madison, attacks on, 22; ref- 
erence to, 30; wintering of 
Black Hawk near, 49, 50 
Fort Snelling, garrison of, 68; 

journev of Dodge to. 139 
Fort Union, headquarters of Dodge 
at, 53 ; arrival of Dodge at, 56, 
57; reference to, 223 
Fort Winnebago, erection of, 44; 
troops dispatched to, 60. 61; 
garrison at, 68; reference to, 70, 
152; arrival of Dodge at, 75; 
escape of Indian murderers 
from, 75; Indian murderers 
lodged at, 77; conditions among 
Indians at, 139; need for Dra- 
goons at, 177 
Four Lakes, 53, 75, 78; confer- 
ence held at, 74 
Pox Indians, 151 

Pox River, 71, 132, 148; sugges- 
tion for improvement of. 147, 
190; appropriation for road to, 
169; water route between Wis- 
consin River and, suggested by 
Dodge, 176 . • ■ 

Prance, retrocession of Louisiana 
to, 12; struggle of, for posses- 
sion of Vincennes, 13 
French, coming of. to Missouri, 28 
Free Soil Convention, National, 
meeting of, 186; composition of, 
186; nominations by, 186 
Frontier, service of Mounted 
Rangers on, 67; petitions to 
Congress from. 67: location of, 
68; threatening attitude of In- 
dians on, 72; alarm caused by 
Indians on, 73; cost of supplies 
on, 90; march of Dragoons 
through, 113; settlement of 
Dodge on, 197, 198 
Frontiersmen, restless character of, 

6 ^ . 

Pry, Joshua W., service of, in re- 
moval of Indians, 77 

Fugitive Slave Bill, opposition of 
Dodge to, 188 

Gagnier, Registre, murder of, 41 
Gaines, Edmund P., comm.and of 
volunteers by. 47; signing of 
treaty bv, 47; statement of, 47: 



INDEX 



257 



opinion of, concerning Rocky 
Mountain expedition, 127; letter 
from, 233 ; recognition of ser- 
vices of Dodge by, 239 

Galena (Illinois), " Dodge at, 30, 
41; reference to, 31, 129, 223; 
gathering of forces at, 41; de- 
scription of scenes at, 42 ; activ- 
ities of Dodge at, 59, 60; re- 
moval of Dodge to, 213, 214 

Qalenian, The, war news published 
in, 66; publication of, 220 

Gallagher, Benj. B.. letter to, 244 

Gallagher, J. S., letter by, 244 

Gambling, prohibition of, 72 

Gantt, Captain, service of, on 
Dragoon expedition, 114; In- 
dians collected by, 119, 120, 
123 ; reference to, " 120 

Gentry, James H., 53, 222 

Ghent, treaty of, 26 

Governor, career of Dodge as, 128- 
144, 145-157, 172-184; powers 
and salary of, 131; importance 
of office of. 202, 203 

Grand Island, 119 

Grand River, 88 

Grant County (Wisconsin), 42, 178 

Gratiot, Adele P., 216 

Gratiot, Henry, sub-agent of Win- 
nebagoes, 53, 54 

Gratiot's Grove, 55, 56 

Great Britain, war declared 
against, 21; reference to, 26 

Great Lakes, 22 

Green, Emerson, burial of, 60 

Green Bay, 71, 147, 162; jealousy 
of, 129; treaty concluded near, 
132; Indians attached to Agency 
at, 153; Indian agent at, 237 

Grimes, James W., secretary of 
treaty commission, 133 

Gros Ventre Indians, 123 

Hall, Rachel, abduction of, 54 
Hall, Sylvia, abduction of, 54 
Hamilton, Henry, Dodge held in 
captivity by, 6; statement by, 
208 
Hamilton, William S., vote for, 242 
Hamilton County (Nebraska), 116 
Harrison, William Henry, appoint- 
ment of Dodge by, 12 ; reference 
to, 132, 144 
Heath, Charles, execution of, 18 
Helena (Wisconsin), shipment of 

lead from, 34 
Hennepin (Illinois), 73 
Henry, James D., 49. 64, 224; pur- 
suit of Black Hawk by 60-63; 
Indians overtaken by. 61, 62; 
position of, in order of battle, 
63; location of company of, 70; 
successor to, 73 



Henry, Moses, naming of Dodee 
for, 209 * 

Henry, Patrick, confidence of, in 
Dodge, 7 

Herculaneum (Missouri), 28 

Hickory Point, encampment of 
Dodge at, 55 

Hildreth, James, letters by, 227 

Historical Department of "lowa, list 
of commissions of Dodge present- 
ed to, 21; letters in, 214, 239; 
manuscript in possession of, 226 

Horse Shoe Bend, Battle of, 59, 67 

House of Representatives (United 
States), oath of office taken by 
Dodge in, 158; number of Dele- 
gates in, 158, 159; reference to, 
164, 171; opinion of Dodge con- 
cerning members of, 169 

Hoiise of Representatives (Wiscon- 
sin Territory), number of mem- 
bers of, 175; attack on Consti- 
tution in, 181; list of members 
of, 240 

Howard County (Missouri), 22 

Hunter, David, 83 

Hunter, Joseph, 4 

Hunter, Molly, 4 

Hunter, Nancy Ann, marriage of, 
4; ancestry of, 4; incident in 
life of, 4, 5; reference to, 14 
(see also Nancy Ann Dodge) 

Hutisford Rapids (Wisconsin), ar- 
rival of troops at, 61 

Hyer, George, papers of, 223 

Illinois, lead-mining in, 28; migra- 
tions from, to Missouri, 28 ; mi- 
grations from southern, 29; con- 
ditions in lead-mining region of. 
30, 31; business relations of 
miners with, 35; Indian troubles 
in, 45; Black Hawk War in, 49, 
59; invasion of, by Sac Indians, 
50; last Indian war in, 65; cost 
of Black Hawk War to. 65; mi- 
grations to, 65; threatening at- 
titude of Indians in, 72 ; alarm 
among settlers of, 73 ; interest 
of, in improvement of Missis- 
sippi, 148, 176; settlement of 
Dodge on frontier of, 197, 198; 
Governor of, 218, 219; roster of 
troops from, 219 

Illinois country, disagreements be- 
tween civil and military authori- 
ty in, 7 

Illinois River. 30, 47. 73; terror 
caused by Indians along, 51 

Immigration, stimulation of, 5 

Independence Day, Dodge inaugu- 
rated on, 130 

Indian Affairs, Commissioner of, 
report of Dodge to, 152 



y 



17 



258 



INDEX 



Indian Agent, appointment of 

Dodge as, 7 . , t^ ^ 

Indian Bureau, relation of Dodge 

to, 152 
Indiana, Governor of, 12; depar- 
ture of Rangers for, 78 
"Indiana" (steamboat), 29 
Indiana Territory, Missouri coun- 
try under jurisdiction of, 16; 
reference to, 132 
Indians, Dodge family in wars 
with, 2; treachery of, 4; strug- 
gle of settlers with, 5; dangers 
from, 9, 10, 21, 203; influence 
of British traders upon, 21, 22; 
lives of, saved by Dodge, 25, 26; 
Dodge's knowledge of character 
of 26, 129, 199; friendly rela- 
tions of Dodge with, 31; desire 
of Dodge for treaties with, 34; 
relations of United States with, 
39- disturbances among, 39; 
treaties with, 39, 40, 71; diffi- 
culties between lead miners and, 
40; terror caused by, 51; fear 
of uprising of, 52; denuncia- 
tion of, 55; results of rav- 
ages of, 56; murders commit- 
ted bv, 56, 57, 102: encoun- 
ter with, 57, 62, 63-65; effect of 
uprisings of, 67; caravans pro- 
tected against, 73; effect of 
Rangers in pacifying, 78; me^ns 
of maintaining peace with, 91; 
Dragoons joined by, 95; council 
of Dodge with, 101-108, 111, 
113- effect of establishment of 
peace among, 125, 126; displac- 
ing of, 133; opposition to loca- 
tion of, in Missouri, 133; set- 
tlers on the lands of, 135, 136: 
drunkenness among, 139 ; plan 
for redemption of, 153 ; refer- 
ence to, 170; memorials from 
tribes of, 189; conditions in Il- 
linois due to, 224, 225 . 
Internal improvements, memorial 
relative to, urged by Dodge, 137, 
147, 148, 176, 177, 179; effort 
of Dodge to secure, 162, 163, 
190; appropriations for, 169, 
170; petitions relative to, 189, 

Iowa, building stone for capitol of, 
10; part of original Territory of 
Wisconsin, 130 

Iowa, Territory of, act creating, 
143 : significance of Dodge's ad- 
ministration for, 143; tenures 
provided in Organic Act of, 146; 
interest of, in improvement of 
Mississippi River, 148, 1'76; 
reference to, 157. 200, 239 244: 
Delegate from, 159; results of 



efforts of Dodge in behalf of, 
168; conditions in, 181; last 
Governor of, 244 

Iowa, The State Historical Society 
of, manuscript in library of, 
220, 224; publication by, 242 

Iowa country, jurisdiction of ordi- 
nance over, 144 

Iowa County (Wisconsin), settle- 
ment of Dodge in, 31; Dodge in 
militia of, 52; reference to, 136; 
election of Dodge as Chief Jus- 
tice of, 215 

Iowa County Regiment, 66 

Jackson, Andrew, appointment of 
Dodge by, 67, 80, 130; approval 
of act by, 80 ; position of Dodge 
in estimation of, 129; reference 
to, 201, 238 
Jacksonian Democracy, 195 ; devo- 
tion of Dodge to, 196 
Jefferson Barracks headquarters 
of Dragoons at, 81; arrival of 
troops at, 82; description of. 
84 ; arrival of troops from, 92 : 
description of journey to, 227 
Jefferson, Thomas, confidence of, m 

Dodge, 7; proclamation of, 19 
Jefferson County (Missouri), activ- 
ities of Dodge in, 29 
Jo Daviess County (Illinois), ad- 
dress delivered by Dodge in, 55 
Johnson, Peter, execution of, 18 
Johnson, Richard M., appointment 

of Dodge urged by, 130 
Johnson, William C, attitude of, 

toward duty on lead, 161 
Johnson County (Nebraska), 233 
Johnston, Albert Sidney, 64 
Jones, George W., letter from 
Dodge to, 111, 112, 129, 130, 
142, 143, 169, 229, 239; ap- 
pointment of Dodge urged by. 
130; appointment of, as Gover- 
nor urged by Dodge, 143; argu- 
ment of, for new Territory. 143 : 
letter by, 214; autobiography of. 
220, 224; statement of Dodge 
concerning, 236 
Jones, Hugh, murder of, 18 
Jones, Roger, views of Dodge pre- 
sented to, 89, 90; letter to, 227, 
233 
Judicial districts, creation of, 
urged by Dodge, 147; establish- 
ment of, 177 . 
Jutan (Oto Chief), meeting of. 
with Dragoons, 115; description 
of, 115 

Kansas, march through, 113: atti- 
tude of Dodge toward admission 
of, 191 



INDEX 



259 



Kansas River, 126 

Kansas-Nebraska Bill, opposition 
to, 190, 191; attitude of Dodge 
toward, 197; speech on, 244 

Kaskaskia, capture of. 5 ; appoint- 
ment of Dodge as Indian Agent 
at, 7; migration of Dodge to, 7; 
migration of Dodge from, 8 

Kearney, Stephen W., appointment 
of, as recruiting ofBcer, 82 ; ref- 
erence to, 96; arrival of, at Fort 
Gibson, 110; praise of, by Cat- 
lin, 112 

Kellogg's Grove, 75 

Kentucky, removal of Hunter fami- 
ly to, 4; fort in, 4; removal of 
Dodge from, 8 ; early boyhood of 
Dodge in, 13 ; migrations from, 
29 

Keokuk, chief of Sacs and Foxes, 
134 ; impressive appearance of, 
134, 135 ; attitude of, toward 
Neapope, 135 

Keokuk Reserve, treaties relative 
to, 134; cost of, to United 
States, 134; immigration into, 
135 

Kickapoo Indians, march across 
reservation of, 114 

Killbourn, Byron, nomination of, 
for Delegate, 154; defeat of, 
154; vote for, 237 

Kingsbury, G. P., service of, as 
journalist, 114; statement of, 
concerning Pawnees, 118; Arick- 
aras described bv, 120 ; descrip- 
tion of march by," 121, 122, 126; 
description of Cheyennes by, 
123 ; effects of expedition de- 
scribed by, 125, 126; journal of, 
233; description of Oto village 
by, 233; description of Dragoons 
by, 234 

Kinzie, John H., sub-agent for 
Winnebagoes, 75 ; arrival of, at 
Fort Winnebago, 75 ; Indian 
murderers delivered to, 77 

Kiowa Indians, child restored to, 
95, 107, 108; reference to, 98, 
232 ; presence of, at council, 
101 ; friendship of, desired by 
Dodge. 106, 107; interruption of 
council by, 107; council with, 
107, 108, 111; Dodge accom- 
panied by, 108, 109 

Kirker's Place, 55 

Kish-kal-lewa, 23, 26 

Knowles, E. P., making of bust of 
Dodge by, 204 

LaFayette, Marquis de. 4 
LaFayette County (Wisconsin), 57 
Lake Michigan, 36; suggestion of 
appropriation for harbors and 



lighthouses on, 147, 176- scar- 
city of harbors on, 162; bill for 
construction of harbors on 162- 
ength of coast of, 162; loss of 
iiie from unprotected condition 
of, 162, 163 

Langworthy, Edward, activities of. 
in Black Hawk War, 222 

Langworthy, Lucius, activities of 
m Black Hawk War. 222 

Lassus, Don Carlos Dehault de, 9. 

Lead, importance of, in West, 28- 
amount of, mined by Dodge, 32'. 
33; improved outlet" for, 147 

Lead miners, taxation of, 35; need 
of protection for, 37; difficulties 
between Indians and, 40; 
amount of lead mined bv, 160- 
defense of interests of, by 
Dodge, 160, 161 

Lead mines, fame of Upper Missis- 
sippi, 29; immigration to, 44; 
memorial relative to, urged bv 
Dodge, 176 

Lead mining, activities of Dodge 
in, 28-38 

Lead trade, center of, 8 

Leavenworth, Henry, command as- 
sumed by, 91; arrival of, at 
Camp Jackson, 91; reference to, 
96; death of, 110 

Le Claire, Antoine, life of Black 
Hawk based on statements of, 
219 

Leech, Samuel, participation of, in 
Battle of Bad Axe, 64 

Legislative Assembly (Michigan 
Territory), 35; Iowa County 
created by, 215 

Legislative Assembly (original Ter- 
ritory of Wisconsin), 131; elec- 
tion and apportionment of mem- 
bers of, 131, 132; convening of 
first, 136; laws enacted by, 137, 
138, 141, 143; discussion of lo- 
cation of capital by, 138, 139; 
convening of second, 140; inves- 
tigation of fire by committee of, 
141; veto messages sent to, 141; 
adjournment of, 141; discussion 
in, concerning creation of new 
Territory, 142, 143 

Legislative Assembly (Wisconsin 
Territory), sessions of, 145, 148, 
156, 174, 175, 179, 181, 182, 
183; recommendations of Dodge 
to, 145, 148, 156. 173, 175-177; 
Indian affairs discussed by, 150 ; 
laws enacted by, 155, 156, 177. 
178, 180; memorials and peti- 
tions from, 159; controversy be- 
tween Dodge and, against Doty, 
163-169; failure of Doty to ron- 



260 



INDEX 



der account to. 164; view of, 
concerning appropriation, 164, 
165 ; session of, declared illegal, 
166; request of, for removal of 
Doty, 166, 167; co-workers with 
Dodge in, 175 

Levy, David, Delegate from Terri- 
tory of Florida, 159 

Libertv Party, 186 

Linn, Captain, letter to. 244 

Litcap, Solomon, murder of, 41 

Little Chief, head of Pawnee Tap- 
peiges, 118 

Little Thunder, 223; reward re- 
ceived by. 224 

Louisiana, removal of Dodge to, 8; 
exports of, 8, 28; population of, 
11; jurisdictions over, 11, 12; 
transfer of, to United States, 12; 
coming of Dodge to, 14 

Louisiana, District of. Governor of, 
12 

Loutre Lick (Missouri), 23 

Lowry, David, statement by, con- 
cerning redemption of Indians. 
153 

Lucas, Robert, 200 

Lumber, improved outlet for, 147 

Lupton, Lan. P., command under, 

113 
Luziere, Pierre de Lassus de, rec- 
ommendation of, 9 

McChire, George "W., death of, 110 

McDonald, Christina, marriage of, 
to Henry Dodge, 14, 15 

McDonald family, settlement of, 
near St. Louis, 8 

Macomb, Major General, communi- 
cation from Dodge to, 74 

Madison, James. commission of 
Dodge signed by, 20 

Madison (Wisconsin), 53: location 
of Territorial capital at, 138; 
convening of Legislative Assem- 
bly at, 145, 148, 175; constitu- 
tional convention at. 179, 182 

Marcy, William L., request of, for 
volunteer infantry, 180 

Marsh, John, statement by, 33 

Martin, Judge, murder of, 102 

Martin, Matthew Wright, captivity 
of, 102; surrender of, 102, 103; 
delivery of, from captivity, 231 

Martin, Morgan L., election of. to 
Legislative Council, 36; account 
of tour bv, 214, 215 

Mason, Richard B., 83, 84; com- 
mand of Dragoons by, 86; op- 
position of, to Dodge, 92 

Mason. Sti-vens T., 144 

Medill. William. arraignment of 
Dotv bv, 165; tribute to Dodge 
by, "238, 239 



Menominee Indians, land ceded by, 
132, 148; removal of, advised. 
153 
Menominee River, 132 
Merryman, E. H., 223 
Methode, Mr., murder of, 41 
Mexican War, comment of Dodge 

on. 183 
Mexico, plan for annexation of, 18. 
19 ; protection for trade with, 90 
Mexico, City of, 183 
Miami Bend (Missouri), Indians 

surrounded in, 24 
Miami Indians, location of. by 
Shawnee scouts, 24; surrender 
of, 24; reference to, 26 
Michigan, Territory of, lead-mining 
in, 28; reference to, 31, 35,, 52, 
68 72, 132, 196; division of, 
35', 37, 38. 128, 129; Delegate 
from, 35; delegates to Legisla- 
tive Council of, 36; suppression 
of Indian uprising in, 44; Black 
Hawk in, 59; Governor of, 186 
Militia, need for organization of, 
137; recommendation of Dodge 
relative to. 177, 180 
Militia, Committee on, service of 

Dodge on, 190 
Milwaukee, incorporation of bank 
at, 138; importance of good har- 
bor at, 147; harbor to be located 
at. 162; reference to. 165; incor- 
poration of, 177; harbor at, rec- 
ommended by Dodge, 179, 180 
Mineral Point (Wisconsin). Dodge 
at, 72 ; oath of office taken by 
Dodge at, 130; incorporation of 
bank at, 138; departure of 
Dodge for, 141, 142; investiga- 
tion of bank at, urged by Dodge, 
155; return of Dodge to, 174; 
celebration at, 215 
Minnesota, 130; jurisdiction over 

part of, 241 
Mississippi River, shipments down, 
by Dodge, 10; importance of 
control of, 11, 12; reference to. 
14 20, 28, 40, 46, 47, 84, 120. 
129, 130, 131 204. 222; activi- 
ties of British agents on, 22: 
voyage of Dodge up, 30; cross- 
ing of, by Black Hawk's band, 
50; threat to force Black Hawk 
across, 50; discovery of Black 
Hawk on. 63; fort on, 68; ces- 
sion of land west of. 71; need 
for troops on, 90; members of 
legislature of W^isconsin Terri- 
tory from west of, 132; Sacs and 
Foxes encamped on, 134: jour- 
ney of Dodge to head of, 139: 
agitation for separate Territory 
west of, 142, 143; improvements 



INDEX 



261 



in navigation of, suggested, 147, 
148, 176 ; plan to remove In- 
dians west of, 153; proposed 
connection of, with St. Law- 
rence, 190 

Mississippi Valley, frontier com- 
posed of, 68; reference to, 146 

Missouri, early history of, 16; area 
of, under jurisdiction of Terri- 
tory of Indiana. 16; part of, in 
War with Great Britain, 21; 
agitation for admission of, 27; 
adoption of constitution of, 27; 
lead-mining in, 28; early migra- 
tions into, 28; migrations from, 
29; business relations of miners 
with, 35; migration of Dodge 
from, 40 ; reference to, 87, 89, 
90, 91; cession of land in, 133; 
region added to, 134 ; disputed 
boundary of, 141; plan for re- 
moval of Indians to, 153 ; resi- 
dence of Dodge in, 196 

Missouri, Territory of. Delegate 
from, 20; creation of, 20; ap- 
pointment of Dodge as Marshal 
for, 20; militia of, 22, 213; ref- 
erence to, 132 

Missouri Fulton (steamboat), 134 

Missouri River, 23. 116, 133; 
crossing of, by Dodge, 24 ; Arick- 
ara Indians located on, 120 

Money, description of, in earlv 
days, 29 

Monopolies, attitude of Dodge to- 
ward, 155 

Monpisha. assurance of friendship 
by, 105, 106 

Monroe, James, commission of 
Dodge signed by, 20 

Montrose (Iowa), 30 

Morrison, James, farm of. 55; ref- 
erence to, 149 

Mounted Rangers, creation of, 67 : 
commission of Dodge as Major 
of, 67; operations of, 67; service 
of Dodge as Major of, 67-79; ex- 
pense of maintenance of. 68, 69 ; 
organization of companies of, 69 : 
camp of, established, 69 ; cholera 
epidemic in camp of, 69 ; victims 
of cholera among, 70 ; disposi- 
tion of, on frontier, 70 ; direc- 
tion of movements of, 74 ; ar- 
rival of Dodge at camp of, 75 ; 
discharge of, 77, 78; end of his- 
tory of, 78 ; service of, 78 ; refer- 
ence to, 80, 81; captains of, en- 
listed in Dragoons, 83 

Munsee Indians, 153 

Muscoda (Wisconsin), 42 

Muskogee County (Oklahoma), 87 

Na-kour-me, 23 



Napoleon, cession of Louisiana by, 

Neapope, 49; silence of, in council 
135; capture of, 224 

Nebraska, march through, 113, 
114; reference to, 116 

Nemaha County (Nebraska), 233 

Nemaha River, 114 

Neutral Strip, reluctance of In- 
dians to remove to, 151 

New Bourbon (Missouri), settle- 
ment of Dodge at, 8; request of 
oflScials of, 8, 9 ; reference to, 9 

New London (Connecticut), Israel 
Dodge at, 2 

New Madrid (Missouri), 19 

New Orleans, 10, 11, 14, 28; im- 
portance of control of, 11, 12: 
shipment of lead to, 34; method 
of shortening route to, 147 

New York City, arrival of troops 
from, 82, 83 

Non-residents, ta.xation of, urged 
by Dodge, 146 

North Dakota, 130 

Northwest, lakes of, 162 

Nullification, attitude of Dodge to- 
ward, 198 

Ohio River, fort near mouth of, 4; 
migration of Dodge to Falls of, 
8; reference to. 18, 165, 242 

Ohio Valley, cost of transportation 
in, 29 

Oklahoma, 87 

"Old Hickorv," 65 

Old Man's Creek, 51 

Old Northwest Territory, capture 
of forts in, 5; reference to, 17, 
143. 144, 184, 241; last State 
admitted from, 183 ; evolution of 
Territories of, 200; administra- 
tions of Governors of, 202 ; Ter- 
ritories of, 203 ; Governors of, 
242; commonwealths formed 
from, 242 

Omaha Indians, 114; council held 
with, 115, 116; arrival of, at 
Dragoon camp, 116; provisions 
issued to, 116 

Oneida Indians, 153 

O'Neill, John F., 174 

Ordinance of 1787, Iowa country 
under jurisdiction of, 143, 144: 
slavery provision of, 188; refer- 
ence to, 242 

Oregon, Territory of, extension of 
slavery prohibition over, 188 

Organic Act (Territory of Iowa). 
tenures provided in, 146 

Organic Act (original Territory of 
Wisconsin), provisions of, 131 

Organic Act (Territory of Wiscon- 



262 



INDEX 



sin), provisions of, 159; refer- 
ence to, 201 

Osage Indians, relation of, with 
Dragoons, 89 ; need for assist- 
ance of, 90; expedition joined 
by, 95; reference to, 96, 107; 
peace desired with, 105 ; council 
held with. 111 

Osage River, 126 

Oto Indians, 114; encampment 
near village of, 114, 115; arrival 
of Dragoons at village of, 115; 
council held with, 115 

Otoe County (Nebraska), 233 

Ottawa (Illinois), Indian depreda- 
tions near, 54 ; conference at, 
55 

Ottawa Indians, treaty with, 39 

Pap-pi-qua, 23 

Parish, John C, diary edited by, 
220 

Parkison, Daniel M., statement by, 
221 

Pauquette, Pierre, service of, as in- 
terpreter, 74 ; reference to, 75 

Pawnee Fork, arrival of Dragoons 
at, 126 

Pawnee Indians, 95, 96, 98; child 
restored to, 95 : hospitalities ex- 
tended by, 100, 101; council 
held with, 101, 111, 118, 119; 
Dodge accompanied by chiefs of, 
108, 109; description of expedi- 
tion to. 111, 112: divisions of, 
117, 118; chiefs of, 117, 118; 
war between Sioux and, 118; 
speeches by chiefs of, 119; as- 
sistance offered by, 119; arrival 
of, at Cheyenne village, 125 ; 
presents given by, 125 

Pawnee Loups, chief of, 118 

Pawnee Republics, chief of, 117, 
118 

Pawnee Tappeiges, chief of, 118 

Pawnee village, expedition to, 94- 
112; location of, 94; arrival of 
Dragoons at, 100, 117; descrip- 
tion of, 100 ; end of council at, 
108; return march from, 109; 
march to, 116, 117; story of 
marches to, 227 

Pearce. James A., 243 

Pecatonica, B.attle of, 45, 49; ac- 
count of, 57-59 ; influence of, on 
war, 59 
Pecatonica River, 57; suggestion 

for improvement of, 147 
Peltries, importance of, in West, 

28; improved outlet for, 147 
Pelzer, Louis, document edited by, 

230 
Penitentiary. appropriation for, 
urged by Dodge, 155, 176 



Pennsylvania, removal of Hunter 
family from. 4 

Pensions, applications for, 189 

Perkins, David, 83 

Peru (Illinois), claim of, for Ter- 
ritorial capital, 138 

Philleo, Addison, war news pub- 
lished by, 66 ; newspaper edited 
by, 220; letter to, 222; report 
by, 223 

Piankeshaw Indians, chief of, 209 

Pierce, Franklin, offer of governor- 
ship to Dodge by, 193 

Pioneers, restless character of, 6 

Platte River, 113, 116, 121, 122, 
125; encampment on, 114, 117; 
march of Dragoons along, 119 

Poinsett. Joel R., visit of Sioux 
delegation to, 140; communica- 
tion bv, 237 

Polk, James K., effect of election 
of, 172 ; extracts from diary of, 
172-174, 240, 242; policy of, 
with regard to appointments, 
173, 174 

Portage (Wisconsin), 43, 152, 
176; fort at, 68 

Posey, Alexander 49, 64; pursuit 
of" Black Hawk by. 60: position 
of, in order of battle, 63 ; letter 
to. 214, 216 

Poston, Henry, 23 

Pottawattamie Indians, treaty with, 
39; threatening attitude of, 72, 
73 ; order for expulsion of, 73 ; 
desirability of separation of Win- 
nebagoes from. 74 
Prairie du Chien, Indian Agent at, 
32, 216; fear of Indian upris- 
ings at, 40 ; murders committed 
near, 41 ; march of troops to, 
42 ; discovery of Black Hawk 
near, 63; reference to, 152, 224; 
treaty made at, 215; death of 
Red 'Bird at, 217 
Preemption, views of Dodge con- 
cerning, 137, 148, 176 
Pueblo (Colorado), 234 

Quaife, Milo Milton, diary edited 

by, 240 
Quarles. Augustus, memory of, 183 
Quebec, captivity of Dodge at, 6 

Racine (Wisconsin), harbor at, 

162, 179, 180 
Railroads, incorporation of, 180; 

land grants for, 189 
Rangers (see Mounted Rangers) 
Red Bird, murders committed by, 

41 ; flight of, 42 ; surrender of, 

44; death of, 217; accomplices 

of, 217 
Red River, Indian villages on, 94; 



INDEX 



263 



reference to, 95; Toyash village 
situated on branch of, 99 

Revolutionary War, Dodge in, 3 

Reynolds, John, complaints of set- 
tlers to, 46 ; signing of treaty 
by, 47, 71 ; proclamation issued 
by, 50 ; letter from Dodge to, 52 ; 
reference to, 53 ; communication 
to Dodge from, 72 ; credentials 
of Dodge presented by, 158 

Rhode Island, 1 

Richardson County (Nebraska), 
233 

Riley, Major, garrison commanded 
by, 68 

Roads, laws relative to, 178 

Roads, Territorial, construction of, 
138 

Roberts, Sergeant, 84 

Rock Island, establishment of camp 
near, 69 ; efforts of Indian agent 
at, 139 

Rock Island (Illinois), Sac village 
near site of, 45 ; treaty made at, 
71, 76 

Rock River, 22, 40, 45, 50, 56, 60, 
61; Sac village at mouth of, 45; 
expedition to, 52 ; establishment 
of camp near, 69 ; burial of 
Rangers on banks of, 70 ; re- 
moval of Winnebagoes across, 
77; improvement of. urged by 
Dodge, 137, 147, 176, 177 

Rocky Mountains, 89 ; march of 
Dragoons to, 113-127; first view 
of. by Dragoons, 122 ; descrip- 
tion of, 122 ; route of expedition 
to, 234 

Rough Riders, necessity for, 67, 68 

Round Grove, 126 

Roundtree, John H., 31, 53, 175 

Sac Indians, outrages committed 
by, 41: village of, 45; treaty 
with, 47, 218; number of, in 
Black Hawk War, 49; British 
band of, 49, 50; invasion of Il- 
linois by, 50; bad counsel of, 54 

Sacs and Foxes, attack of, on Fort 
Madison, 22 ; treaty negotiated 
with, 46, 133; Indian Agent of, 
54; land cession made by, 133 

St. Clair, Arthur, 144 

St. Croix River, cession of pine for- 
ests of, 140 

St. Lawrence River, proposed con- 
nection of, with Mississippi, 190 

St. Louis, settlement of McDonalds 
near, 8; growth of, 8; transfer 
of Louisiana at, 12; reference 
to, 23, 34, 41, 78, 81; constitu- 
tional convention at, 27; Super- 
intendent of Indian Affairs at, 
32; troops and supplies sent 



from, 50; story of marches from, 
227 

St. Mary's Landing (Missouri), re 
moval of Dodge from, 213, 214 

St. Vrain, Felix, murder of, 04; 
burial of, 55 ; demand for sur- 
render of murderers of, 75 

St. Vrain. Mr., fort of Bent and, 
123 ; trade carried on by, 123 

Ste. Genevieve (Missouri), settle- 
ment of Dodge near, 8; market 
for lead, 8; life of Dodge near, 
8; burial of Dodge near, 13; 
reference to, 19, 20, 23; rank of 
Dodge in troops of, 21 

Ste. Genevieve Academy, Dodge a 
trustee of, 20 

Ste. Genevieve County (Missouri), 
rifle company in, 22 ; delegates 
from, 27 

Ste. Genevieve District, appoint- 
ment of Dodge as Sheriff in, 12; 
service of Dodge in, 15, 17; res- 
idence of Dodge in, 16, 17; sys- 
tem of local government estab- 
lished in, 17; importance of 
Sheriff of, 17; tax levy for, 17 

Saline County (Missouri), 24 

Saline River, salt-making on, 14, 
28, 29 

Salt, importance of, in West, 28 

Salter, William, statement by, 31; 
reference to, 207 

Sandusky (Ohio), Dodge at, 6 

Santa Fe, 73 ; protection of traders 
enroute to, 91 

Santa Fe trail, 113, 126 

Schools, attitude of Dodge toward, 
147, 176 

Scott, John, part of, in duel, 20 ; 
reference to. 27 

Scott, Winfield, denunciation of in- 
temperance by, 69, 70 ; treaty 
made by, 71; order of, 225 

Secretary of the Treasury, 164 

Secretary of War, 80 ; explanation 
of, concerning removal of Win- 
nebagoes, 151; memorial to, 
urged by Dodge, 177 

Senate (United States), quarrel 
between Benton and Foote in, 
187; attitude of Dodge toward 
disorder in, 187, 188; committee 
to investigate disorder in, 188; 
retirement of Dodge from, 193 

Seneca Indians, expedition joined 
by, 95; council held with. 111 

Settlers, relations of Black Hawk 
with, 46; squatting of, on Indian 
lands, 135, 136 

Seward, William H., Kansas-Ne- 
braska Bill opposed by, 190, 191 

Shawnee Indians leaders of. 23 : 
reference to, 24, 26 



264 



INDEX 



Sheboygan (Wisconsin), appropri- 
ation for road from, 169 

Sioux Indians, 27, 151; mainte- 
nance of peace with, 91 ; war be- 
tween Pawnees and, 118; Arick- 
aras driven out by, 120; as- 
sembling of, for grand council, 
139, 140; delegation of, sent to 
Washington, 140 

Slavery, attitude of Dodge toward, 
188. 197 

Slaves, treatment of, by Dodge, 
196, 197 

Smith, T., Jack, connection of, with 
Burr expedition, 19; indictment 
of. 19 

Smith, Jeremiah, building for Leg- 
islative Assembly provided by, 
141 

Snelling. Colonel, force under, 43 

South Dakota, 130 

Southport (Wisconsin), harbor at, 
162, 179, 180; appropriation for 
improvement of road from, 170 

Spaflford's Ford, murders commit- 
ted near, 56, 57 

Spain, request of loans to, 9; land 
granted to Dodge by, 10; retro- 
cession of Louisiana by, 12 

Spanish, coming of, to Missouri, 
28 

Spear, John, murder of, 18 

Springfield (Illinois), 220 

Statehood, question of, emphasized 
by Dodge, 154, 155, 156; vote 
in favor of. for Wisconsin Ter- 
ritory, 178; advantages of, 
shown by Dodge, 179, 182 

Steen, Enoch, command under, 114 

Stephenson, James, 222 

Stillman, Isaac, force under, 50 ; 
plan of, to coerce Indians, 50. 
51; site of defeat of, 52 

Stillman's Defeat, 49 ; disastrous 
character of, 51 

Stockbridge Indians, 153 

Stoddard, Amos, part of, in trans- 
fer of Louisiana, 12 

Street, Joseph M., statement by, 
32; reference to, 33; attempt of, 
to oust Dodge, 34; efforts of, to 
promote reforms among Indians, 
139; letter by, 214, 216; Indian 
Agent at Prairie du Chien, 216; 
captives delivered to, 224 

Strong, Moses M., statement by, 44, 
168; letter to Dodge from, 167; 
removal of Doty urged by, 167; 
speech by. 174 

Sumner, Charles, Kansas-Nebraska 
Bill opposed by. 190, 191 

Sumner, Edwin V., arrival of, at 
Jefferson Barracks, 82, 83 ; ref- 



erence to, 84; sent to Arkansas 
Territory, 88 
Superintendent of Indian Affairs, 
qualifications of Dodge for, 131; 
activities of Dodge as, 132-136, 
139, 140; duties of Dodge as, 
151-153, 200 

Tallmadge, Nathaniel P.. attitude 
of, toward removal of Doty, 166 ; 
conference of, with Polk, 173; 
attitude of Polk toward removal 
of, 173; attitude of Dodge to- 
ward, 174; removal of, 240 

Tariff Bill of 1833, attitude of 
Dodge toward. 198 

Taunton (Massachusetts), 1 

Ta-we-que-nah, professions of 

friendship made by, 106 

Taylor, Zachary, position of, in or- 
der of battle, 63 ; reference to, 
65 ; garrison commanded by, 68 

Tecumseh. 45 

Tennessee, migrations from 29 

Tennesseans, favorite instruments 
of, 89 

Territories, Committee on, report 
of, 166; bill reported by, 191 

T«ton Sioux Indians, 27 

Texas Boundary Bill, opposition of 
Dodge to, 188 

Thompson, John W., 23 

Thompson, Charles, letter to, 208 

Toyash Indians, 98, 108; council 
held with, 101, 107, 108 

Toyash village, location of, 99 ; ar- 
rival of Dragoons at, 100 

Treasury Department, relations of 
Doty with, 164; reference to, 
166 

Tweedy, John H., vote for, 242 

Tyler, John, result of appointment 
of Doty by. 158 ; influence of 
Webster over, 165, 166; attitude 
of, toward removal of Doty, 166; 
request for removal of Doty sent 
to, 167; failure of, to remove 
Doty, 168; attitude of Whigs to- 
ward, 169 ; removal of Dodge by, 
240 

Ude. Monsieur, 140 

United States, cession of Louisiana 
to, 12 ; struggle of, for possession 
of Vincennes, 13 ; plan for an- 
nexation of Mexico to, 18, 19 ; 
reference to, 26, 28, 37, 112; 
commissioners for, 27; cession of 
Indian lands to, 34, 45, 71, 132- 
136. 140; relations of, with In- 
dians, 39; hostility of Black 
Hawk toward, 45 ; cost of 
Black Hawk War to, 65 ; Paw- 
nees impressed with power of, 



INDEX 



265 



118; presents to Indians from, 
120, 121; cost of Keokuk Re- 
serve to, 134 

Utah and New Mexico Bill, opposi- 
tion of Dodge to. 188 

Utica (New York), Barnburners 
Convention held at, 185 

Valiniere, Peter Heut de la, letter 
by, 208 

Van Bibber, Isaac, 23 

Van Buren, Martin, letter from 
Dodge to, 143 ; act creating Ter- 
ritory of Iowa signed by, 143 ; 
nomination of, for President, 
185; indorsement of, 186 

Vandalia (Illinois), troops ordered 
from, 72, 73 

Vincennes (Indiana), capture of, 
5 ; birth of Dodge at, 13 : early 
history of, 13 

Virginia, Dodge in. 7 

Wabash River, 70 

Wade, Benjamin F., Kansas-Ne- 
braska Bill opposed by, 190, 191 

Wakefield, John Allen, activities of, 
in Black Hawk War, 218 

Walker, Isaac P.. election of, as 
Senator, 185 ; instructions disre- 
garded by, 189; rebuke to. 189; 
vote for, 242 

Wapello, attitude of, in council, 
135 

Wa-pepil-le-se, 23 

War Department, correspondence 
between Dodge and, 150 

War of 1812, part of Dodge in. 
26: service of Black Hawk in, 
45 ; reference to, 84 

Washington, D. C, Indians invited 
to, 101; failure of chiefs to go 
to. 111; orders from, relative to 
Indian annuities, 139; petitions 
and memorials sent to, 142, 152 ; 
reference to, 143, 159, 198; 
changes in political complexion 
at, 172; return of Dodge from, 
174; representation of Wisconsin 
at, 179 ; services of Dodge at, 
197 

Washington, George, interest of. in 
Dodge, 7 

Washington County (Arkansas 
Territory), Sumner sent to, 88 

Washington Territory, governorship 
of. offered to Dodge, 193 

Washita River. 96, 110 

Ways and Means, Committee on, 
report of, 171 

Webster, Daniel, influence of, over 
Tyler, 165, 166; attitude of. to- 
ward removal of Doty, 166; ref- 
erence to, 186 



Weco Indians, presence of, at 
council, 101 

West, Dodge family in, 2; military 
career of Dodge in, 80; faith of 
Dodge in, 196; contributions of 
Dodge toward development of. 
199; influence of Old Northwest 
upon, 203 

West Point, graduates from, in 
Dragoon regiment, 83 

We-ter-rashahro. meeting of, with 
Dodge, 104 : willingness of, to 
accompany Dodge, 105 ; Dodge 
accompanied by, 108. 109 

Wharton, Clifton, service of com- 
pany of, as escort, 91 

Wheelock, T. B., extract from jour- 
nal of, 99; account of march by, 
109, 110, 231, 232; journal kept 
by. 229 

Whigs, nominee of, for Delegate to 
Congress, 154; charges made by, 
against Democrats, 157; election 
of President by, 157; divisions 
among, 169; objections of, to 
State Constitution, 181 

Whirling Thunder, conference of, 
with Dodge, 75 ; removal of, 77 

Whistler, William, command of, 43, 
68 ; surrender of Indians to. 44 

White Crow, conference of, with 
Dodge, 74 

Whiteside, Samuel, force under, 50 

Whiton. Edward V., 175; candi- 
dacy of, for Senator, 185 ; vote 
for, 242 

Wing, Austin E., Territorial Dele- 
gate from Michigan, 35; letter 
to, 215 

Winnebago Indians, attack of, on 
Fort Madison, 22 ; discontent 
among. 33; sale of lands by, 34; 
treaty with, 39, 40, 44, 45, 150; 
mining in territory of, 40; treat- 
ment of miners by, 40, 215; out- 
rages committed by, 41; flight of, 
42 ; desperate condition of, 43 ; 
surrender of, 44; pursuit of. 48; 
number of, in Black Hawk War, 
49; sub-agent of, 53, 54, 75; 
counsel of Dodge to, 54; release 
of prisoners by, 54 ; cession of 
land by, 71; threatened attacks 
by, 73 ; necessity for removal of. 
74; desirability of separation of 
Pottawattamies from, 74; meet- 
ing of Dodge with chiefs of, 74; 
demand for release of prisoners 
by, 75; annuity money for, 75; 
conference on removal of, 75 ; 
warning of Dodge to, 76. 77; re- 
moval of, 77; reference to. 78: 
correspondence concerning, 150; 
explanation concerning removal 



266 



INDEX 



of, 151; attitude of, toward re- 
moval, 152 ; need for Dragoons 
to secure peace with, 177; ac- 
tivities of, in Battle of Wiscon- 
sin Heights, 224 

Winnebago War, termination of, 
44 ; reference to, 186 

Winneshiek, son of, saved by 
Dodge, 43 

Winston, Richard, charges made 
by, 7 

Wisconsin, Black Hawk War in, 
49, 60 ; last Indian war in, 65 ; 
migrations to, 65 ; reference to, 
130, 188; admission of. 182, 
183 ; career of Dodge as Senator 
from, 185-192 ; reward of Dodge 
by people of, 185 ; first Senators 
from, 185 ; instructions from 
legislature of, 189; increase in 
population of, 189 ; Dodge's last 
years spent in, 193 ; settlement 
of Dodge on frontier of, 197, 
198; memorial to Dodge from 
legislature of, 204; vote for first 
United States Senators from, 
242 

Wisconsin, original Territory of. 
Governor of. 38; Dodge as Gov- 
ernor of, 128-144; creation of. 
128; contest for location of cap- 
ital of, 129, 138; extent of, 130; 
population of, 130; provisions of 
Organic Act of, 131; description 
of first capital of, 136, 137 

Wisconsin, State Historical Society 
of. resolutions adopted by, 203 ; 
letters and papers in librarv of, 
220, 223, 239, 241, 244 

Wisconsin, Territory of, Dodge's 
governorship of, 145-157, 172- 
184; population of, 145, 146, 
156, 171 ; rise of political party 
system in, 145 ; question of state- 
hood in, 146; natural resources 
of, 146 ; interest of, in improve- 
ment of Mississippi River, 148, 
176; appropriations for, by Con- 
gress, 150, 163 ; description of 
Indian tribes in, 152 ; political 
campaign in, 153, 154, 157; pro- 
vision for census of, 156; rec- 
ommendation for redistrieting of, 



156; appointment of Doty as 
Governor of, 157; Dodge as Del- 
egate from, 158-171; provisions 
of Organic Act of, 159; petitions 
from, 160, 162, 168; duty of 
Congress toward settlers of, 161; 
bill for construction of harbors 
in, 162 ; harbors necessary to 
growth and development of, 163 ; 
view of Legislative Assembly con- 
cerning appropriation to. 164, 
165; request for removal of Gov- 
ernor of, 167; results of efforts 
of Dodge on behalf of, 168; atti- 
tude of Congress toward, 169; 
attempt of Dodge to secure ap- 
propriation for, 171 ; suggestion 
for reduction of salaries in, 171; 
effect of election of Polk on gov- 
ernorship of, 172 ; payment of 
debt of, urged by Dodge, 175 ; 
penitentiary for, urged by Dodge, 
175 ; preemption rights for, ad- 
vocated by Dodge, 176; new 
counties created in, 177; judicial 
districts established in, 177; con- 
stitutional convention in, 178, 
179 ; character of pioneer legis- 
lators of, 202 ; appointive power 
of Governor of, 202; vote at elec- 
tion for Delegate from, 237; ap- 
pointment of Dodge as Governor 
of, 240 ; jurisdiction of, over de- 
tached region. 241 

Wisconsin Heights, Battle of, 45, 
49, 239; account of, 62, 223, 
224 

Wisconsin River, 34, 42. 43, 45, 
63, 70, 71, 76, 77. 132, 148, 
223. 224; terror caused by In- 
dians along. 51; Indians over- 
taken on, 61, 62; water route 
between Fox River and. urged 
by Dodge, 176; interest of Dodge 
in improvement of, 190 

Wolf River, 132, 148 

Woodbridge, W. W., 223 

Woodward, Theron Royal, descend- 
ant of Dodge family, 207 

Yankton Sioux Indians. 27 
Yellow Banks, crossing of Missis- 
sippi at, 50 



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